Brought to you by $3.17 a gallon which I cannot believe seems like a good deal to me.
I was on my way back to take my rental, oh by the way hi...so I was on my way to take the rental back to Enterprise when I realized I needed to fill up the tank so I didn't pay $1,732.99 per gallon to fill it up.
I'm learning in my old age. You men are impressed, aren't you? Continuing...
So, I go to fill up the car, get out, put my debit card in and do the whole waiting at the gas tank thing that we all do when I noticed the "Push To Speak With Attendant" button. I stared at it. I wanted to press it. Badly. No, I mean not in the way where you want to ask a question for assistance but in a sort of "Hi, how are you today? I don't really need help but thought I'd say hi way." You know. Like that way.
I kept looking at the button and then looking inside to see who might answer my request and then wondering if they would call the Crazy Police on me for pressing it for a non gas emergency reason. Though not certain if one can be ticketed for pressing the help button I didn't want to take a chance. I'm trying to be responsible and all those sort of pre middle age things.
Still, what I wanted to do was press it and say hi.
And even this evening. The grandma that hurt herself last week at the corner market stopped by my office and wanted to thank me for sitting with her until the paramedics came. She has limited english and I have limited faarsi and what she wanted to say she couldn't. And what I wanted to say I couldn't. What I wanted to say was, "I'm glad you're alive and I don't want you out walking around without help and I'm nervous something is going to happen to you and by the way WHERE IS YOUR SWEATER?"
And my little, taller than me Snarky Brother. I stopped by his work today and have missed him and felt this really huge need to rush up and hug him even though our family is not much of the hugging sort. I saw him and he looked Snarky as ever and not in the hugging mood and what I wanted to say was, "I had another seizure last night and I'm so tired of them but just in case one of these is The Big One I want to hug you so that there will be a hug on the record and just deal with it." I didn't. I smiled and chatted about nonsense and walked away.
I should have pressed the button at the gas station and talked to the attendant. Who knows if they were in utter turmoil at that very moment and I could have offered a gas station word of encouragement.
I should have told the grandma to sit down and found her a blanket and loved on her a bit instead of nodding my head and smiling and having pleasantries that don't amount to much of anything.
And I should have hugged my brother and then called The Elder and told him how very much I love him. Just because and just in case and just cause that's what you should do rather than not doing it.
What I wanted to say to you all is that I'm indebted to you for reading my words and for loving on me and caring and finding joy and some understanding from the details of my life.
Much love to you as you find the things you want to say and then say them,
Cole
Brought to you by last night's insane seizure and today's fabulous nap.
I was just thinking how it's been SO long since my last seizure and even the last one was SO minor I could barely feel it and aren't I becoming the epilepsy poster child?
Not so much.
Last night was an ass kicking of sorts.
And no one is to blame except for me. Give me the epilepsy ticket if they are in the Giving Tickets Out sort of mood. I have been going to sleep at 4am working way too late on my book. I missed taking my medicine one night which is one night too many when you have seizures. I had (a beer). Shh. Don't tell my dad. Yes, I think many people with epilepsy drink on occasion but, for me, since I'm not much the drinker it doesn't set well with my brain. Oh, and there was that half glass of champagne the night before. And I think I had red wine somewhere on Sunday.
Don't tell my dad ANY of that. Yes, I know I'm 38.
So, it was the perfect storm and I should have seen it coming when that dog staring out the back of that wagon Volvo at McDonald's locked eyes with me and wouldn't move away. Dogs know about seizures the way people don't. He knew even though I thought he was a she but then looked down and saw things hanging that were clearly of the he type. The dog knew. It crossed my mind that I knew. I went about my day and stayed up late again and didn't even think last night could have been MY last night.
It was a big one. My brain shuddered. I kept my breathing even. Did all the things I know to do but then my damn face turned into the pillow Flo-Jo style. Remember her? Long nails, Olympic athlete. Well, without the nails or the running or the cool outfit I was her for a moment and I didn't want my face in a pillow with no ability to move. I wanted a clear passage to breathe through this seizure until it ended.
It felt like it would never end.
It did. I lived. I quickly fell back asleep out of an exhaustion most cannot imagine. When I awoke in the morning I did the first post seizure thing I always do - checked to see if I knew what year it is and went through the past presidents. Clinton's in office, right? Check. Knew 'em. Brain still semi-intact.
And then I wept.
I wept for being alive. Wept for having my face smothered in a pillow. Clearly you should know that makes me not a fan of The CSI's. Wept for almost not living. Wept for people that don't. Wept for those that have seizures in the middle of crowds. Wept for being alone through it and being grateful no one had to go through that scare with me. And wept that God gave me another day, even if just one more, to be a better me than I was yesterday.
My friend Red sent me a message and wants me to stop using pillows. My brother said the same. I've thought about it but I've made a decision. I'm not going to live a life without pillows. It's sort of like love, you know? Yes, a pillow could smother me that one time...that one night but the rest of the time it's so damn comfy and brings great pleasure to my life. I don't want to live in fear with my head flat on the ground.
And love. Sure, it could smother me sometimes, too. That one time and that one night and the one man that breaks the heart might not be worth the pain but I don't want to spend my life without love in fear. I'll still search it out and be open to it and say yes to it.
I decided some time ago to say yes and not to say no to things. I decided to take adventures and have a YES life. Is there a chance it could end up bad? Yup. I'll take the chance anyway.
Pillow. Love. Any of it.
Much love and gratitude for one more day to love and learn and change and grow and be something better,
Cole
