My Lyme friends.

I have a lot of supportive people in my life. I have friends from different times in my life, friends from all kinds of different places, and friends who all add different aspects to my life and my story. And that's the best thing in the entire world. Sometimes I sit here and wonder how I got so lucky to have so many of the great people in the world in my life. Like, am I taking awesome people away from the rest of the world? I mean, I'm not going to give them back if I am, but I do sometimes wonder how so many awesome people have made their way into my little part of the world.

I'm seriously so thankful for every single person in my life, and I never want to minimize anything that anyone does for me. But, I have a group of people that I honestly don't think I could get through this Lyme stuff without. My Lyme friends. 

I've been told before that going to Lyme support groups, or having friends who are specifically and only my friends because of Lyme is unhealthy. That it's making me dwell on my problems, because these other people have similar problems. Or that we're all bringing ourselves down by talking about it too much. But that couldn't be more wrong. 

My Lyme friends became my friends because we have Lyme, yes. But we don't only talk about Lyme. Far from it. We talk about anything and everything that you and any of your friends talk about. We don't sit in a little room in a circle and talk about why our lives suck. We actually, in most cases, have never even met in real life. And, it's not a group situation by any means. I'm individually friends with each of them; some of them are also friends with each other, and some aren't. And that's okay! You don't need a support group to feel supported. 

My Lyme friends get it. I can text them in the middle of the night when I feel the infection moving through my body, and chances are they are up for a similar reason. I can text them after a frustrating doctors appointment, and 9 out of 10 times, they will have been told the same thing at some point in their Lyme journey. I can go to them with any Lyme issue and I will never be alone. And they all know it goes both ways--I am always here for them when they need Lyme support, as well. But, I can also text them with boy problems. Baking stories. Pictures of my hair or my new nail polish. Other friend drama. And anything else you can think of. 

They started as friends because of Lyme, but have turned into friends who just happen to have Lyme. And I am so incredibly thankful for that. 

So, Lyme friends, if you are reading this...thank you. Thank you for making my world seem a little less scary. Thank you for sending me advice back when I send you pictures of weird allergic reactions, or gross incision pictures, or questions about random symptoms. Thank you for making me feel not so crazy. Thank you for calming me down when everything feels like it's spiraling out of control. And thank you for bringing me on your journeys, as well. Thank you for sending me pictures of your infected line because you know I will be able to talk you down from your panic. Thank you for telling me about delicious new gluten free recipes. Thank you for trusting me in your hardest moments.

Thank you for being more than just a Lyme support. You are my life support.  

It's rare that I'm thankful for my Lyme...but, I would be really dumb to look past the fact that it brought you to my life. 

And, for that--for you--I am so thankful.