the best medicine(s)?

i follow some very inspirational peeps on twitter. @healthyplace is a favorite of mine.

amongst the great articles and blog posts, they tweet some great quotes.

here's one from yesterday: "i know that laughter and sunshine can restore my soul." ~veronica hay

for those of us who deal with ED, this is so.very.true. scary true, to be exact.

i've spoken briefly about how isolating this disorder is--all consuming, really. when we "get inside our heads," it's hard to get out, much less laugh. and oh, how laughter can be a great medicine.

ED tells you that you don't deserve to be happy, to smile, to laugh. laughing until you cry isn't even comprehendable. the same goes with "sunshine." you don't want to be seen. period. if the sun is out and it's warm, more of you, literally, is exposed. blech.

these days, i am loving me some laughter and sunshine. if they are together, even better!

i am fortunate enough to work with some ladies that make me laugh at least 5.7 times a day, minimum. from donna thinking her chapstick is a gluestick, to leslie reading her evaluation comments, to lisa's random thinking out loud, my life is definitely NOT lacking in laughter. many days, i laugh until i cry, or almost spit out my drink (as i nearly did yesterday. thank you, donna!).

i'm extremely blessed to have a husband who loves to see me smile, hear me laugh, and spend time in the sun.  some of our happiest times are spent "sunning" at the lake while either reading, floating in the water, and/or laughing at the dogs/neighbors/some other random thing. in fact, our entire honeymoon was spent in the sun. and GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY how excited we are to return there in two weeks!

it's no coinicidence that this quote spoke to me: the  night of my wedding reception, my dad and i dance, laughed and sang along to the beatles:

"here comes the sun.
here comes the sun. and i say, it's all right.

little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter. little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here.

here comes the sun.
here comes the sun. and i say, it's all right.

little darlin', the smile's returning to the faces. little darlin', it seems like years since it's been here.

here comes the sun.
here comes the sun. and i say, it's all right."


for a family that barely survived in the shadows of life, it is oh.so.very.wonderful to be in the sun again.

and i wouldn't be here now if not for my wonderful husband of nearly (as of saturday) one year.

that night, we all danced the night away (yes, even our parents, who both celebrate 35 years of marriage in 2011!), and ended with this:

"when you can't find the light that guides you through a cloudy day;
when the stars ain't shinin' bright and it feels like you've lost your way;
when those candle lights of home burn so very far away,
well, you got to let your soul shine
just like my daddy used to say.

he used to say the soulshine
it's better than sunshine;
it's better than moonshine;
damn sure better than rain.

hey, now people don't mind;
we all get this way sometimes;
you got to let your soul shine;
shine 'til the break of day."

my sweet david, i love you. thanks for the love, the laughter, and the soulshine. i absolutely cannot wait to see what the next fifty years will bring.

photo by morgan howard ;)