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Many Thanks to Toko-Pa Turner! Thank you so much for your beautiful words and wisdom. I didn't know how to express this concept to others while I was in my disoriented state (with chronic Lyme) but always knew that the well-meaning support that people wanted to give didn't sit right with me. I especially love the clarity around any spiritual enlightenment that is automatically expected to be gleaned during and after recovery. "Allowing what’s essential to reveal itself like a wild animal returning to its place of origin after a long exile." This is such a powerful metaphor and completely respects the process of healing. People used to ask me: "So what did I learn from this experience?". My answer: The opportunity to wake up every day and say yes to all that is my life.

A chronic Lyme condition was my teacher. Going from lots of activities to a mostly non-active life was the teacher to let go of previously known identities. It was seven years of redefining what matters and part of that was to get clear about the choice of people that were able to be with me right where I was versus having to take care of their discomfort at my condition. The issues that used to trigger grief or anxiety may still happen but my response is more of curiosity instead of feeling the need to respond in ways that are not energetically kind to myself or others. When I get snagged on an issue now, (because that's a reality too) I love reframing everything by remembering that this isn't even my body and I am here due to the collaboration of cells from my mother and father. Then curiosity can take me to a new place, maybe even opening the confinement of identity to allow more investigation.