Oh holy character building. I’m writing to give a brief explanation of why I’ve been awol for a few weeks. Four weeks ago, I started getting bites and feeling like something was crawling on me while sleeping. Yikes! We haven’t been able to identify it but we know it’s not bed bugs. The vintage aesthetically charming home I’m in had rats in the attic for 3 months. The pest control took care of the rats and three weeks later, this started. I have a feeling I have been deemed the new host to whatever was once living on them. Aaaahhh!!! Soooo, I used a Pam Grout technique and two weeks ago, asked the Universe to please bring me a blessing to get through this. Two hours later, I describe what I’m going through to my friend Matthew and he tells me he had a friend who went through the exact same thing and she almost had a nervous breakdown. This is of course due to getting no sleep because your still body signals feeding time to these nocturnal whatevers. Anyhow, in walks angel Nyssa, (Matthew’s friend & my blessing). I call her and she loans me her dehumidifier (apparently mites, parasites, whatever cannot thrive in low humidity) and she shares some wonderful techniques that have been helping.
The daily regimen to treat these is daily bedding washing, tossing all fabric infested furniture, dehumidifying, and cleaning like a homicidal maniac. For four weeks, this has been my life. I’ve gotten rid of 70% of my stuff, have been cleaning like crazy and finally learned the only way to get these things to stop crawling at night all over my body is to sleep covered in diatamaceous earth. I wake up each morning looking like I’ve been in an atomic baby powder bomb. Peppermint oil and strong scents also seem to deter the “critters”. Holy Mother Mary. I’m still working on collecting samples to bring to an etymologist but life has turned upside down and all painting materials are packed in air tight containers in storage for the month while I hunt for a new place to live. Things do seem to be slowly improving though and this leads me to the next passage…the blessings behind this semi tortuous adventure…
1) have simplified and de-cluttered my life…seriously…really simple
2) Have learned to cling to the Divine who has been steadily present with a quiet peace
3) Am practicing trust and continually choosing it over fear.
4) Have learned deeply that we cannot survive without our loved ones. I am so thankful to the friends and family that have been there for me and helped me to keep laughing though this.
5) Have learned to appreciate small beautiful moments and dwell wholeheartedly in them with a whole new appreciation.
6) I’m also thankful that throughout it all, God and coffee have been there for me
I’m sure that soon, I’ll enjoy the luxury of going a whole week without having to vacuum daily or wash the sheets daily. In the meantime, my soul is building some serious character and tolerance power. I’m spending the month sketching since my paints are packed away. This one was of course inspired by my appreciation of the support others have offered though this. So00…I hope you are all doing well and I’ll send sketches when I can from the adventures that I am sure will soon be sweet ones. Cheerio!
