learning to fly...(and in the process, learning to fall): Burning man

Burning man was a reality check for me. A reminder that I'm not invincible. A reminder that I do suffer from a sometimes debilitating disease. And I didn't learn this lesson the easy way, either.

We arrived for "early entry" on Friday, after having spent the previous day in a car with minimal stretch breaks (mistake #1). We also arrived on the playa with mild food poisoning courtesy of the Sands Hotel in Reno. (Mistake #2). We then proceeded to work our asses off all weekend to set up camp. I carried lots of heavy stuff and busted my butt trying to be helpful (Mistake #3)

So, by the time the Burn week actually began, I was exhausted and sore. I didn't quite realize the magnitude of my exhaustion until
Thursday but I was definitely tired. (lesson learned: ask for help, do less physical labor, manage my pain better with meds). I thought I was pacing myself enough with sleep at night and daytime naps, but I was still exhausted. By Thursday, I was pretty exhausted and having a rough time. By Saturday, I was irrationally tired. Nothing sounded good, food (as it had been all week) and water were both hurting my stomach... I was snapping at Nathaniel, just plain no fun to be with. (lesson learned: when at the burn with a partner, plan separate nights/days out and if I'm tired at night, I suck it up and go to bed solo to avoid conflict!!!)

It was, overall, a good time. However, I learned some very hard lessons and am still trying to smooth the edges... Recourse for my actions. I've definitely had to do a lot of thinking, introspection, etc and had many conversations regarding how this could have been avoided and ways to prevent it from ever happening again.

I oftentimes forget how strong the symptoms of RA can get... And would rather ignore that I have it. Guess that's just not the right thing to do.

The ride there was fun....