About 25 years ago, I went with two young guys (maybe 17 at the time) to a football game in late November. The temperature was -20C (4 below F), with a cool north wind. I dressed in long underwear, jeans, and sweatpants with double socks and thick artic boots on my lower half and from the waist up, a thermal undershirt, t-shirt, heavy sweater, down parka, garbageman mitts and a touque. I was prepared. The two boys picked me up and I was surprised to see that both wore jackets, jeans, running shoes. They had no hat and no gloves, but they did have an attitude. They razed me about being a phoney Canadian who couldn't take the weather. After all, they said, it's not that bad out there.
"Do you think it is September! Have you lost your minds! Have you two morons ever been to a game in November?" I asked and they replied that they had not, still full of bravdo and attitude
"You will freeze!" I said.
"It's not that cold out," one replied through a big smile.
"Well, that's true, but we will be sitting for at least 2 hours with a cold north wind winding up to send the temperature down. You are going to freeze."
"No way" was the response, "and anyway you gotta look cool and we look cool, very cool.
We found our seats and as half time approached, the two boys left to go to the washroom (restroom)where I told them there was heat. They remained macho and kind of glided down the stairs to their destination. Maybe they would be OK. Maybe I was overdressed but then, so were most of the fans in the stands.
Half time came and I decided to find them and I did. They were huddled below the bathroom heater and were in the process of wrapping toilet paper around their feet in an attempt to keep them warm.
I started laughing and in a second they did too.
"Boys," I said sarcastically, "You sure look cool now, very cool, with toilet paper sticking out of your socks!
I had come suitably prepared; they had not and they missed most of the game.
Over the years, I kept in touch with one of boys, who is now a successful Toronto business man, and we get together a couple of times a year and invariably the chatter gets to that football game and we enjoy it all again.
What's this got to do with PD? I hear you asking. Not much. It is a parable. I prepared for the game and was able to stay until the end without freezing. The boys were not prepared and spent most of the second half in the bathroom, and missed the action. My battle is with PD and although I can't win ---yet--, I am preparing for the fight, eating right, avoiding stress, taking my meds and most of all, exercising. I am hoping this kind of preparation will keep me relatively free from symptoms right up until the end of the game. If you don't prepare, it will cause you to miss at least half the game huddled in your sanctum sanctorum.
There is no metaphor in the toilet paper.
Keep warm, that is the lesson for today.
No comments:
Post a Comment