So I'm wondering, what happened to Thanksgiving? I moved for 3 years to Africa and when I returned, I realized that they now skip Thanksgiving here in America. This is true if you believe what you see in the stores. I've been in quite a few...Walgreens, Walmart, Target, to name a few...and they are ALL skipping Thanksgiving!
I love to shop. This is no secret, and I've especially looked forward to each holiday since our return from Africa. I love to see what new little decorations and trinkets have been created since I left. Or, more importantly, what new and creative ways the marketing companies have devised to sell me more junk. It's especially significant because I'd like to "update" my holiday decorations this year, with items that will last for the next 3 years while we are once again overseas.
I've found some lovely new pumpkins to decorate the house with (after one of mine was broken) for Halloween and the Fall. I found all kinds of yummy holiday colored m&m's and mellocreme pumpkins (a real treat after leaving a country that only celebrated Valentine's Day and didn't believe in holiday candy). I also picked up a nice new set of placemats...that really work for all seasons, but fall colors are my favorite!
You see, this is like a sport for me...shopping for just the right thing for the holidays...to make things more cheerful and seasonal. Many countries either don't share our holidays, or the seasons are different, so the colors simply aren't part of that celebration. I feel that if I don't decorate INSIDE my house, my children won't grow up understanding some of the things that made our American holidays special.
Soooo, when Halloween was over. I thought, "Ohhh, perfect. I can now go find that PERFECT door decoration for Thanksgiving." You see, this is Joe's favorite holiday after all. He loves the food and the football...does it get any better? THIS is America! The land of the free, home of the brave, and a place I can find ANY turkey laden item I can dream up...or so I thought.
But, to my shock and surprise, as I entered through the doors of the famed Target, I realized after just one or two aisles...that THEY FORGOT THANKSGIVING! Where did it go? STRAIGHT to Christmas. Literally, the store had one end shelf with some cute little Thanksgiving napkins. I bought 3 packages. Apparently, Thanksgiving simply doesn't have the "retail draw" that both Halloween and Christmas do. But did they have to SKIP it altogether? Does it mean nothing?
I've found a few token Thanksgiving items...but seriously, I've been traveling around the shops for two weeks now...searching high and low for Thanksgiving. It's gone. Vanished.
And what a shame. Thanksgiving is a TRUE American holiday. It's about Pilgrims and Indians and the Mayflower and the discovery of our nation and food, glorious food! HOW can we NOT market this? It seems golden! Halloween is fraught with fright and fear that it's going to turn someone wicked. Christmas is about our Saviour, one of my favorites and one I'd like to think is sacred...for it's religious impact, not it's financial one. But, either way you slice it, both are controversial...with the fear of witches and exchanging the words "Merry Christmas" for "Happy Holidays," one would think that as Americans we would GRAVITATE to the one holiday that all Americans can't argue over and that any non-American could care less about! One with so little RISK! But, sadly, money talks and has won again, declaring Thanksgiving a "bankrupt" holiday.
There will be no "special" Thanksgiving door decoration at my house...just a few old pumpkins and some cheap napkins. But, we will work to make sure that INSIDE my house, our children won't forget that Thanksgiving exists. We'll cook a turkey and all the trimmings...We'll share a meal and talk about what we are really thankful for...We'll let the football games blare on TV all day long. And then we'll sit quietly, in our food comas, reflecting on this very special holiday and ALL that Thanksgiving means to us, even if the retail world's forgotten about it. And then, in the early morning hours of Black Friday, we'll don our running shoes and wallets and enter into the exciting world of Christmas...at the mall and find that PERFECT Christmas door decoration.
Until then, Happy THANKSGIVING!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Seriously? Do I need to dance like a monkey?
It's that time of year again when the seasons change and the allergies flare. It has been my misfortune to have inherited horrible allergies. I'm allergic to cats, dogs and all things outdoors. At 6 weeks old, I had bronchitis...so I think you'll agree that it started very young for me. Though I'm not sure any doctor has ever told me that I have "chronic bronchitis," every Fall I've had what eventually turned into "bronchitis," and I'm pushing 40 (literally - pushing it over...), so it would stand to reason that 40 years of upper respiratory issues MIGHT make someone call is "chronic." Oh, I had a few years of reprieve, when I caught it fast enough and it never turned into something so dire...but even then, it was a sinus infection that required antibiotics.
So, why am I writing this? A friend recently complimented my writing skills (which I might add, I curl up with that compliment every day - it was a nice thing to say), but I replied that the only time I write is when I'm truly inspired. I've only recently been inspired by two things. The first being my sister - I'll write more about her later, when I have more time. The second is this...the monkey dance. You see, I went to the doctor today. I've just recently arrived back in VA, so I haven't established a regular doctor yet, so I went to Urgent Care. The name implies "speedy healthcare," but this is a misnomer, as I waited an hour to lay eyes on the doctor.
"Why did I go to the doctor at all," you say? Well, I've had a cough for about a week...you know, the kind that makes you throw up in the morning and wakes your spouse from a dead sleep at night, not to mention what it does to your own sleep patterns. It's not good. It's not good at all. Anyway, I sat, and sat, and sat...and finally was awarded a face to face with a physician who didn't even bother to introduce himself. His bedside manner lacked...hmm...EVERYTHING! But, there I sat, coughing and trying to entertain a 3 year old to boot. The doctor looked at my chart (the one they'd just created) and looked at me. He checked my ears, my throat, my nose. He asked me a few questions and I explained that, though I didn't have lots of other symptoms, that I had the dreaded cough, that had been ongoing and that my history often dictated that I couldn't/wouldn't kick it myself. I explained about the "chronic bronchitis" b/c I thought this history was relevant.
Here's what he said: "You aren't sick." Really? I'm not sick? This is all a figment of my imagination? I'm just there, in This office, after waiting an hour, after throwing up my guts, to give him some of my money and entertain him, or waste his time? Are you freaking kidding me? I'm NOT SICK? No. He said I didn't have bronchitis and I didn't have COPD, so my lungs were fine and since I didn't have any problems breathing, I was fine. (i.e. not sick)
THIS is where I would normally do a monkey dance. THIS is where I would normally say, "Oh, but I am...blah, blah, blah." THIS is where most normal people with any sense would get up and leave recognizing him as an impostor. THIS is where I would explain my history, why I'm there, how bad I feel, OR just lie about having had fever for a week, so we could move on with this craziness.
The Dr. was kind enough to add that most people "like me" often just throw antibiotics at this kind of stuff and it's wrong and so this causes people "like me" to misunderstand and think they need antibiotics every time they feel bad.
Do I LOOK like I WANT to take 10 days of augmentin? That fun antibiotic that rips, no shreds, the interior lining of my stomach so that I have violent diarrhea for 3 days? Yep....I'm addicted.
Here's what I DIDN'T say, but wanted to (besides all that other stuff I've already typed, but didn't say): "You #$%# (I try not to curse in writing). I've spent the last 10 years largely overseas. In those 10 years, I've developed hypothyroidism, had 3 healthy babies, had two D&C's, developed an allergy to every known pain killer that exists, had countless sinus infections, bronchial infections, and had pretty much NO doctors that gave a #$@#$ about me or my health. I've had to own my own health. I've had to do a freaking monkey dance at every doctor's office because we move so often that no single doctor ever gets to treat me for the SAME thing year after year after year. I don't have the privilege of time or consistent history to PROVE to you that I'm sick. So give me a freaking prescription and let me go home!"
In the end, I smiled. He gave me a prescription for, wait for it...augmentin, while telling me that he doesn't like to hand out antibiotics and that rinsing with a nasal spray for a few days would just "fix me right up." I didn't do a monkey dance, and I still got my prescription. Which leads me to believe that a) he DOES give everyone an antibiotic, or b) I LOOKED like I might whip his butt.
I'm sure this will entertain few of you, but I sure do feel better. However, if you bothered to get this far, I also figure some of you can relate to the chaos of our healthcare system, the lack of concern by our physicians and the difficulty in providing any kind of continuity in our care while serving our country!
Maybe you wonder what I really wanted him to do? I did want an antibiotic b/c I know that's what kicks this crap. But, it would have been nice, too, for him to say, "So, you get this every year? What season? How long? How do you normally treat it?" You know, just act like he cared or that he was at least trying to understand my body, how I think, and what the BEST approach would be for MY health. He might have come to the same conclusion, but his approach would have made the difference...he should have apologized for the wait, too...especially since there was only one other patient ahead of me.
So, to all of you who might be doctors, who might have time to read this, I hope that you will take a minute and reflect on how you treat YOUR patients. If you HAVE been my doctor and are reading this, I hope I've never had to do a monkey dance for you, and that perhaps, I never will.
So, why am I writing this? A friend recently complimented my writing skills (which I might add, I curl up with that compliment every day - it was a nice thing to say), but I replied that the only time I write is when I'm truly inspired. I've only recently been inspired by two things. The first being my sister - I'll write more about her later, when I have more time. The second is this...the monkey dance. You see, I went to the doctor today. I've just recently arrived back in VA, so I haven't established a regular doctor yet, so I went to Urgent Care. The name implies "speedy healthcare," but this is a misnomer, as I waited an hour to lay eyes on the doctor.
"Why did I go to the doctor at all," you say? Well, I've had a cough for about a week...you know, the kind that makes you throw up in the morning and wakes your spouse from a dead sleep at night, not to mention what it does to your own sleep patterns. It's not good. It's not good at all. Anyway, I sat, and sat, and sat...and finally was awarded a face to face with a physician who didn't even bother to introduce himself. His bedside manner lacked...hmm...EVERYTHING! But, there I sat, coughing and trying to entertain a 3 year old to boot. The doctor looked at my chart (the one they'd just created) and looked at me. He checked my ears, my throat, my nose. He asked me a few questions and I explained that, though I didn't have lots of other symptoms, that I had the dreaded cough, that had been ongoing and that my history often dictated that I couldn't/wouldn't kick it myself. I explained about the "chronic bronchitis" b/c I thought this history was relevant.
Here's what he said: "You aren't sick." Really? I'm not sick? This is all a figment of my imagination? I'm just there, in This office, after waiting an hour, after throwing up my guts, to give him some of my money and entertain him, or waste his time? Are you freaking kidding me? I'm NOT SICK? No. He said I didn't have bronchitis and I didn't have COPD, so my lungs were fine and since I didn't have any problems breathing, I was fine. (i.e. not sick)
THIS is where I would normally do a monkey dance. THIS is where I would normally say, "Oh, but I am...blah, blah, blah." THIS is where most normal people with any sense would get up and leave recognizing him as an impostor. THIS is where I would explain my history, why I'm there, how bad I feel, OR just lie about having had fever for a week, so we could move on with this craziness.
The Dr. was kind enough to add that most people "like me" often just throw antibiotics at this kind of stuff and it's wrong and so this causes people "like me" to misunderstand and think they need antibiotics every time they feel bad.
Do I LOOK like I WANT to take 10 days of augmentin? That fun antibiotic that rips, no shreds, the interior lining of my stomach so that I have violent diarrhea for 3 days? Yep....I'm addicted.
Here's what I DIDN'T say, but wanted to (besides all that other stuff I've already typed, but didn't say): "You #$%# (I try not to curse in writing). I've spent the last 10 years largely overseas. In those 10 years, I've developed hypothyroidism, had 3 healthy babies, had two D&C's, developed an allergy to every known pain killer that exists, had countless sinus infections, bronchial infections, and had pretty much NO doctors that gave a #$@#$ about me or my health. I've had to own my own health. I've had to do a freaking monkey dance at every doctor's office because we move so often that no single doctor ever gets to treat me for the SAME thing year after year after year. I don't have the privilege of time or consistent history to PROVE to you that I'm sick. So give me a freaking prescription and let me go home!"
In the end, I smiled. He gave me a prescription for, wait for it...augmentin, while telling me that he doesn't like to hand out antibiotics and that rinsing with a nasal spray for a few days would just "fix me right up." I didn't do a monkey dance, and I still got my prescription. Which leads me to believe that a) he DOES give everyone an antibiotic, or b) I LOOKED like I might whip his butt.
I'm sure this will entertain few of you, but I sure do feel better. However, if you bothered to get this far, I also figure some of you can relate to the chaos of our healthcare system, the lack of concern by our physicians and the difficulty in providing any kind of continuity in our care while serving our country!
Maybe you wonder what I really wanted him to do? I did want an antibiotic b/c I know that's what kicks this crap. But, it would have been nice, too, for him to say, "So, you get this every year? What season? How long? How do you normally treat it?" You know, just act like he cared or that he was at least trying to understand my body, how I think, and what the BEST approach would be for MY health. He might have come to the same conclusion, but his approach would have made the difference...he should have apologized for the wait, too...especially since there was only one other patient ahead of me.
So, to all of you who might be doctors, who might have time to read this, I hope that you will take a minute and reflect on how you treat YOUR patients. If you HAVE been my doctor and are reading this, I hope I've never had to do a monkey dance for you, and that perhaps, I never will.
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