Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Catching up

Here are some photos with no real post attached, just images from the last two weeks of my life, gathered before the doctor changed my Synthroid dose and I came back to the land of the living. The thing is, when I was in that dark hole, no one could really tell, because I kept to myself a lot, and impersonated normalcy when I didn't. Only my daughter really knew I was struggling, and she begged me to get help. I considered going back into therapy, and then I connected the dots and realized it was my meds that needed adjusting. I am astonished how many of you who read here have a similar low thyroid issue, and how well you all understood the dark place being insufficiently medicated for the condition can plunge one into. I wonder how many women are walking around in the depths of depression, not knowing they have a thyroid issue, and can get help. But I digress. I really only meant to post pictures today, for my own fond record.

My girl was in town last weekend to attend the bachelorette party for one of her longest-standing friends. These two, along with four other girls, became a tribe in elementary school. They called themselves The Six, and they have been faithful to one another ever since. They are like family, they argue and do therapy on one another, and most of all they love and celebrate each other through all the passages of their lives since they were four and five years old. There's a before picture of these two, taken on their first trip to the farm. I've posted it here before. I love it, because it shows so clearly the love that would sustain them as they grew. Weeks spent at the farm as a class were part of the curriculum at their liberal progressive school, where, as the founder put it, "differences were to be celebrated," and everyone valued for exactly who they were. 

At the weekend-long bachelorette party, held at an Airbnb in the Hamptons, every member of The Six was there, plus friends from other spheres of the bride-to-be's life, including a queer college friend who my daughter said flirted outrageously with all the other women, making the straight ones wonder if they were, in fact, straight. The bride eventually took her friend aside and said, "You have to stop. Everyone here is crushing on you." It was in good fun, however, a lovely reminder that we all exist on a continuum, and it is souls that love and are drawn together, as much as it is bodies. Here are a couple more photos from the weekend, swiped from social media. My daughter and these young women know each other as sisters. 


And here's another photo, this one of my son, exhausted after making his way across town to physical therapy, and back on the bus. "Why am I so tired?" he murmured before drifting into an afternoon nap. "You're healing," I said. And he is.



9 comments:

  1. So glad to know that the dark cloud has lifted with the appropriate dose of thyroid medication.

    The photos of your daughter and her friends give me great hope for their generation and those that will come through them.

    Although I don't have thyroid issues, I must be in the process of healing because the photo of your son could be a photo of me recently. I'm honoring my feelings of needing to rest during this time of year -- a time of year which tends to be challenging for me. I don't know that I've ever let myself rest and heal during this time.

    Your portraits of your family members always move me, especially this one of your son sleeping and healing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The arc of recovery is curvilinear, which is helped along by naps. I have to say, if he's still on crutches, riding the bus sounds daunting. Jim and I have both spent time on crutches, and stairs were terrifying, both for the crutcher and the observer.
    The kitchen window is so pretty, I love that it swings out to open. You did a wonderful job of picking materials. It must feel really, really good to be settled in.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We often forget how much energy our bodies expend on healing after some major insult like a break or surgery. And it's just as true that sometimes, our emotional health can be vastly influenced by our physical health. I am SO glad that you figured out the thyroid issue.
    The story about the person giving all the straight girls pause made me laugh. Some people are just, well- incredibly attractive. And it also made me think of the time Hank (who was still presenting as lesbian) seduced the sister of the groom at May's first wedding which so discombobulated the mother of the groom that I had to take her out for tequila shots and a little reassurance. Good times!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Seeing and hearing of the close, loving relationships amongst the six was just the touch of sweetness I needed today. Beautiful, all of them.
    Xoxo
    Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful photos of your daughter and her longtime friend. So sweet that they are still in each other's lives.
    Really glad that the change in meds helped you feel well again, and it's good to see your son resting and healing. Such good news.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What lovely photos. Naps help a lot. My middle daughter must now nap daily to get through her days and it's helping.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Six. I love that and love even more that they are still The Six.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm glad things are getting better for you all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love in it's many forms is just beautiful. I am so very happy that the 6 is still the 6 because that is so very rare as people usually drift apart after a few months, which is so sad, but it is the way that things sometimes work.
    To know that they continue to be the 6 is genuinely beautiful and the love that they have for each other is so unique and it shows that Love really is the one thing that will forever be the glue that keeps us together.

    Low thyroid can cause a whole host of problems. I will have my doctor check my thyroid the next time I am in for labs. I am very glad that you were able to have your medication adjusted and that your feeling better. I have kept you in my thoughts as then as now.
    I love the photos. I am sorry your son is healing, but very glad that he is in physical therapy. I know that he is tired. My mom use to say that we are healing when we are sleeping and that is so true. It is heartwarming that you told him the same. I hope he heals completely very soon. Hugs xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete