tl;dr: I'm sad, I'm sick, and I'm overwhelmed at the end of the year, but I realize I'm damn lucky so I'm TRYING to be optimistic even though I feel like crawling back into bed to be a blanket burrito for a few more days while brain weasels hopped up on Mucinex and cookies continue to have an existential cagematch in my brainbox. Happy New Near!

Here's the instagram post for the cards: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmok7UZuwEN/
...and the thank you's are listed after this entirely-too-long entry about my state of things as of late.

So. Here we are at the end of the year, and I missed out on a LOT of exchanges because I've been a hermitloaf for a while now. I feel like I've utterly failed as a friend and card-companion, and while I'm tryyyinnnngggg to wrestle myself out of a COVID-fueled self-imposed hermitage, I'm finding that my introvert self has taken over. My rage over my mother's death and my close friend's death in 2021 has resurfaced in not-healthy ways, so I'm dealing with some existential muck there, too. Add a heaping pile of lung-grue (not COVID, at least) between me and my husband, and I'm just SAD.

I had two surgeries at the start of December. Small ones. But still. Surgeries are annoying. I still need to have the panniculectomy following my weight loss surgery from March 2021; I don't think I've managed to stabilise my weight loss to the point where I feel comfortable having the abdominal skin removed yet.

I also need to get my lipidema/lymphedema under control again. I FINALLY got fitted for new compression garments after all the weight loss! It's HARD to find therapists in the U.S. ... what's up with that?

My bathroom is in the final stages of renovation, so I'll be able to soak in a bathtub for New Year's, which makes me happy. There's quite a bit more to report, but ...meh.

But just so all this whining makes sense: I just want to thank ALL OF YOU HERE ON THIS HERE SUBREDDIT who have cheered me up, sent me cards, or who have just provided wholesome posts that I may or may not have commented on; it's just wonderful to know that people are still dedicated to reaching out in tangible ways to lift others up, whether it be through a letter or just a cute joke on a postcard. I'm so thankful for you, and I wish you all a happy New Year.

thank you to:
u/birdiebennett
u/welshfancy
u/TigerLady13
u/wabisabi_sf
u/reasonablePositive
u/peacenplants
u/lonelytwatwaffle

and u/laura_eva - RAoC holiday card exchange!