To roost or not to roost?

So I've been a bit out of sorts the last few months. And it was really just getting worse. There are some things that I've been forced to deal with lately, and one of them is that in some cases, GBS leaves people with the problem of chronic fatigue. Now, don't get me wrong. I know I'm still not recovered, but I also am not the type to just sit and wait. I want to participate actively in my recovery.

My naturopath has diagnosed me with an internal staph infection. Not very uncommon for the amount of time I was in the hospital, and all the tubes I had stuck in me. I've also been diagnosed with something called Epstein-Barr Virus. Which, is not at all uncommon and is a common cause of mono, but they have found links related to auto-immune diseases. Wikipedia says something like 95% of the population carry it around. It's a form of the herpes virus, much like chicken pox. And much like chicken pox, you really only get it once. Unless you're one of the unlucky ones that ends up with shingles. Which are often triggered by stress. So I'm inclined to think my GBS was rather stress related. And I've heard similar things from people who have other neurological diseases. The last thing I want, is to go through all that again. So now I've realized I need to learn to deal with this stress.

I've been debating for a while whether I was going to join the rooster team or not. I haven't been training at Silent River without the I Ho Chuan since before I went to China. I can't imagine what being part of the school would be like without it, but at this point, it seems like so much to take on. So, I finally had a meeting with Sifu Brinker. I would have to figure out how to feel like a part of the team without doing a lot of the physical aspects. But Sifu Brinker reminded me, as he has reminded us all over and over, that the I Ho Chuan is a tool. And it's a tool for my own personal development. So now the tough part is deciding what direction I'd like my life to go, and also how the I Ho Chuan could serve me next year.