Skip to main content

I'm melting

I love the Wizard of Oz. My favorite production, of course, was the one done by Holland High School in 2011. My second favorite was the one done by the Peanut Butter & Jelly Players in Saugatuck with director Justine Kinnaman and a cast of children, teens and yours truly in the coveted role of the Wicked Witch. I was perfectly awful of course - but I had such fun being a little wicked. (I couldn't be too wicked and scare the audience of children).

The favorite scene was when the witch is doused with water and melts - the cast loved that scene because they actually threw water on me, the audience loved that scene because they wanted to see me melt, and I loved that scene because the lines "I'm melting. Oh you killed me and my wicked loveliness " Or something to that effect. Such fun to act out.

Well, I catch myself these days uttering those words. And not because I'm being doused, but because like 50 percent of this country, there is a heat-advisory where I live. We were in DC for one day when the temps reached 90 and for two days in Boston when they reached upwards of 90 - so I experienced how much worse the heat can be in a major city. And I pray that the city residents experiencing this heat are able to find relief.

As a person with MS, the heat can affect me more quickly than before I had this damn disease. My jaunts outside to 'soak up Vitamin D' or to water the flowers or to get the mail need to be shorter. And Lord knows how I love my Vitamin-D-soaking and how sad it makes me that on hot days it's less of a soak and more of a quick dunk.

While in Boston at the North Church, for instance, I was sitting in one of the enclosed pews where there was little air circulation. Within a minute or two, I felt overwhelmed and almost claustrophobic  fanning didn't ease heat's effect. I needed to get out near a window where the breeze could cool me and to sit still. The walk to the car was slow and I was happy for the shady path and even happier to feel the car's air conditioning.

With those thoughts in mind, I am thinking of all of my fellow MS'ers; especially those in cities or without air. Because, I imagine you're feeling a little like that green lady. You're melting.
From the Holland High School production of a Wizard of Oz.
The Wicked Witch is Geneva and the Good Witch is Delaney.

Comments

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Old? Infirm?

A friend sent this article to me today: Are you Old? Infirm? I can relate. Though  I'm not old - despite what the three-year-olds in my Sunday school class say. And I am not infirm - and I'll wack over the head with my cane anyone, repeat anyone , that would call me that. I resemble Nancy in the article. She calls herself crippled. And Mr. Bruni wrote, " I confessed that I cringed whenever she called herself “crippled,” which she does, because she values directness and has a streak of mischief in her." I prefer the term 'gimp' and have also had others cringe when I say that. I like the term they arrived at "limited" but it's not perfect - maybe just a little more politically correct. I have felt that diminishment when in my wheelchair. But being a tad feisty and Irish, I fight that with every ounce of my being. My personality has always been a little on the large side and not very quiet or shy, so I make it a challenge to 'be see...

Treatment begins

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Today is the day I begin, at last, treatment. Today is the day I begin to kick cancer's ass. Today is the day I start infusing ugly, nasty, side-affect laden, toxic chemicals for the greater good. Today is a day that I wish I could rewrite the script for completely deleting the part requiring me to need breast cancer chemo. And yet, here it is and at 1:15 EST I will be at the Cancer & Hematology Center in Holland. It's where I will be a lot for the next five months. It's where I will, I'm sure (and surety is something I have less of these days as I know not how I will respond to chemo), create new friendships and forge bonds with people that I am currently unfamiliar. Because that's who I am; a lover of people and a woman that wants to know and love on all the people she comes to meet.  I don't know why I have breast cancer but someday I will ask God (along with a whole bunch of other questions!). I do b...

Christmas cards

I sat down to reluctantly address Christmas cards. While our list has slowly dwindled through the years it's still a sizeable number, especially when it's viewed as a task approached reluctantly . Know what I mean? Some Christmas 'tasks' are a lot less taskier - like decorating or shopping or eating or opening presents. I mean, there's a whole different level of enthusiasm associated with 'tasks' that aren't viewed as tasks - I can't ever remember a time when I sat down to reluctantly open a present or eat a Christmas cookie! Anyway, I approached the Christmas card addressing with a less-than-positive, more bah-humbugish attitude. I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed the markers (I had to have a green, a red and a black one), the list and of course the envelopes (which John had already stuffed with the card). I turned on some Christmas music, but not too loud or it would distract me (and it really doesn't take much to distract me. Squirrel!),...