The funny thing about being exhausted all the time is that it creeps up on you.  Since I’m not a good sleeper, feeling awake and alert and energized seemed to be just over the horizon.  One more night.  One more chance to sleep soundly and wake rested.

Then I started sleeping soundly, because I was purely exhausted.  I still didn’t feel better, even after weeks of getting a good night’s sleep.

I was completely engrossed in a project, writing like a fiend all day.  Surely, that was mentally exhausting.  That would explain it.  Then I finished a draft and took a break.  Still tired.

Then I tried to cut down on coffee, so of course that would explain why I felt like I was wading upstream through my day.  Everyone said it would get better after a week or so.  It didn’t.

It was subtle enough for me to find excuses for the way I was feeling:  I’m being lazy.  I’m just stressed.  My brain is busy.  I have too many tasks I don’t want to do, and I’m avoiding them.  I’m just feeling quiet right now.  Maybe this is just what being 34 feels like.

Finally, I mentioned the way I was feeling to my doctor.  She did blood work and discovered that my Vitamin D levels were low.  She put me on prescription Vitamin D, and suggested that I spend some time every day out in the sun, or even just sitting by a window when I’m working.

I’m one of those people who never leaves the house without sunscreen and sunglasses.  I keep the blinds drawn while I’m working so I don’t get distracted by whatever might be going on outside.  I sit in the shade when I am outside.  We live in Rochester.  We don’t get enough sunlight in the winter, and we’ve had a dark spring this year.  My doctor said she’s been seeing a lot of Vitamin D deficiency this year.

A simple blood test, a simple fix and I feel like my life is in Technicolor again.  It’s amazing.  On Sunday, we did yard work in the sun and I remembered what it felt like to have energy, and I felt the joy of being tired at the end of the day because I’d done a hard day’s work, not because I’d been dragging myself along.

So, now I’m making an effort to get some sunlight in my day.  What a lovely fix it is!   Sitting outside to soak up the sun in short, responsible intervals is the perfect time to read (I set a timer and put sunscreen & sunglasses on when my recommended sun time is over).

Of course, I can’t get this song out of my head.  Yo.  Cut it.