A Day of Mixed Emotions

Today is the beginning of Suicide Prevention Week.  It's fitting, as it's also the birthday of someone we lost to suicide.  Every year gets easier, but that doesn't mean this young man is any less missed. While he took his own life, and I think of him whenever I hear of someone doing the same, he was SO much more than that one act. 

Denny's favorite character was Spider-Man, and that was later his nickname.  He could climb wall jambs all the way up to the top.  He had this funny little way of running where his legs would piston and rush, but his back would be ramrod straight.  His karate bag when I drove him to practice weighed almost more than he did, and watching him heft it in the car was funny.  He was caring and generous to my son the way pre-teens rarely are. He was surrounded by music his whole life, and he found his own ways to express himself through music appreciation and playing.  Art was another of his loves, and his drawings were everywhere in his home.  But in the end, he was still at the mercy of his inner demons, as so many young men and women are today. He had a host of people who interacted with him lovingly on a daily basis, which makes his choice so much more difficult for the rest of us to bear.  So many young people today don't have a support system, and that means they don't even have a sliver of a chance. 

I'll always think of him as Cubby's idol and wish he was still here. 

Happy Birthday, Denny.  We still miss you.  I hope you've found the peace you never had when you were with us. You deserve it.

Words You Don't Want to Hear

In walked Brownie after school yesterday.  She immediately said, "Mom, can I ask you a question?" These words are part of her minute by minute questioning, so I wasn't concerned yet.  She continued, "What would you say if I told you I had a staple in my foot?" Of course, my response was "DO you have a staple in your foot?" She said no and burst into tears, clear indication she HAD a staple in her foot, but she's a drama queen, ya know.

After much crying and general ballyhoo, she allowed her dad to look at her foot.  Yep, there was a staple.  She'd been walking around with it all day, because she's not fond of the nurse who works at the school now, and she didn't want to tell her teacher, because it's FOURTH grade now, and she didn't want to look like a baby.  Ugh.

According to Hubbster, he could pull it out, but what if a piece was still in there?  I agreed.  Know what I was supposed to be doing?  Going to work.  I nearly gleefully handed him the insurance card, told him the numbers to call, kissed my little dramatic petunia on the head and went (ran) to work.  Immediately after, I went to the open house for Brownie's school where I was recruiting for Girl Scouts, then met with Brownie's (long winded) teacher.  Then I drove at breakneck speed to my first sales meeting for my new direct sales venture.  All during this, I was getting texted updates, pictures of Brownie in a wheel chair, with her roll of stickers, as they picked up dinner at McDonald's because the clinic took so long.  I didn't miss any of the experience.

When I came home, Hubbster was all TIRED from waiting and bath and homework.  Hmm, maybe there is an advantage to him being out of work.  But that doesn't mean I wouldn't kick him out into that cold cruel world at the hint of a job offer.

So! It was a full day round here.  It was also almost exactly a year after Brownie had to have stitches in her other foot from stepping on glass.  I told her she needed to mix it up next year and injure an arm.  She was not amused.

This seems off

I'm sure everyone has seen the commercial for this product Rev by now. It features a young man awaking in the dead of night, committed to his sport, reaching into his parents' stainless steel fridge for a package marked "REV" in bold letters. He opens it, and inside is a fresh looking wrap with chicken or turkey, a little lettuce hanging out.  The boy eats it as inspirational narration plays, something about possibilities, even when others say it can't be done.

Now, I'm not an exerciser for the sake of exercising. I know I'm supposed to, but I just don't like it. Hiking around a lake to appreciate beauty, walking or bike riding as a mode of transportation, sure! But if you see me running, someone is chasing me.  So acknowledging this is not my foray, I take issue with this commercial. I'm under the impression, as a non-athlete, that a pre-made, in the refrigerated aisle for God knows how long, then toted home to lounge in the fridge for even longer CANNOT be a good thing for a working hard body. Wouldn't it be better to buy some deli meat, fresh tortillas and lettuce, take two extra minutes and have at least half the preservatives? Doesn't it seem like a message at odds to physically push one's body while filling it with crap?

Ah, advertising can make us believe anything is good.