Lists, Bananas & Chicken Pox June 2009

I wish I kept the lists I made for this move; although I am not sure I have a box big enough to store them. I think counting them and reading them could be an interesting activity. (When one is retired, such activities are not a waste of time as time is endless.) Some lists were neatly typed on the computer while others were hand written on lined yellow legal paper. Lists were made on the backs of register receipts, on scraps of torn paper, and on napkins. Lists were long and short, documenting what needed to be done and what was done. Lists were stuffed into purses and pockets, scribbled with reminders and shopping lists and lists reminding me to make lists. Lists were made of what items were going into storage or the trash or to Goodwill or into the RV. Items were crossed off the lists and then the lists copied so the lists would be neater. Making lists takes a lot of time as does managing them. However, without the lists my head would spin with all that was needed to be bought, sorted, fixed, and remembered. Of course I would need to put head spinning on a list so I would not forget. Over the years of my life I was I was allergic to various foods and substances even though I have eaten and been exposed to these same foods and substances for many years. Still I dutifully removed them from my diet and my life. Bananas are my favorite fruit. I have not eaten one for years because I am supposedly allergic to them along with eggs, milk, and corn. Cats were on the list. I was always greatly relieved dogs were not. (Had they been I would have taken a shot or whatever to keep my three little ones.) Being allergic to so many foods requires a lot of thought and pre-planning; in other words, stress. Food has to be planned, prepared, and packed. Running into a store for a snack is very difficult. Ice cream is impossible to do without. My purse has bottles of Benadryl, as do my car and office. Being without the little pink pill sends terror through my body. After all these years of careful planning and boring eating, an allergy blood test that found I am only allergic to latex. Ok, this is not working for me. So I had the skin prick tests (the most accurate of the allergy tests) for 48 foods and substances. None showed any allergies. On the way home from the allergist I enjoyed the best tasting banana I have ever eaten. During the time of my childhood and for many years before and after, getting Chicken Pox was just an expected step in a child’s life much like losing baby teeth. It’s going to happen. The question is when and preferably earlier rather than later. What no one tells you; or perhaps they do not know( or is it simply no one will tell) or it is on a need-to-know basis, is the Chicken Pox virus DOES NOT GO AWAY. The nasty virus lies dormant in bodies, sleeping like a hibernating bear. And as a hibernating bear too soon awakened, the virus reappears in other mysterious forms with little warning and for no clear reason. Shingles, with blisters piling on each other, appear sending pain and itching streaming through the nervous system. Herpes does the same. While TV, magazines, newspapers, and ads warn of the sexually transmitted Herpes; how to protect against and the frightening reality of Herpes lasting a lifetime, the virus is already lasting a lifetime though with a different name beginning in childhood. The ads do not warn of the Herpes virus breaking out ANYWHERE on the body. Herpes, just as Shingles, may appear on a cheek, an arm, a leg, anywhere without sexual contact! The key word is stress. Too much stress is the signal for the various bumps and blisters to appear. Perhaps vaccinating children against Chicken Pox is a good idea. No more hibernating bears disturbed in the middle of dreams of cuddly cubs. I leave today. No, everything is not ready. No, the RV is not packed and set up. No, I did not fill the tank. No, I did not finish emptying the house. No, I did not empty the refrigerator or take out the trash. But one day has to be the day. The next day or the day after can no longer be the goal. If I need to throw everything into a box and toss them into a box to be unpacked later, so be it. My new life begins today.