The Basic Self

He told me his Dr. said he had to see a nutritionist, exercise more, eat three healthy high-protein meals a day with snacks in between, and to stop eating at 6 PM. He needed to stop drinking coffee and juices. He needed to lose weight and start pricking his finger throughout the day to keep track of his blood sugar levels and, ultimately, avoid having to take medication, or worse, give himself insulin shots. He needed to "take better care of himself" or he would surely become a full-blown diabetic.

He told me he HATED the reality of his situation; "Its too many things to deal with, and I don't like the idea of pricking my fingers every day to draw blood - it makes me want to faint! I want my pork, dammit!"

Beatrice

           The first time I saw her, I was swimming in an outdoor pool on a glorious summer afternoon. The sun beamed a steady warmth, and there was a gentle wind that made the air feel tinged with cold on my exposed skin. The sight of this small framed woman tending to a man in a wheelchair captivated me.

            I tried not to stare.  I tried not to be “one of those people that stares at people with disabilities thinking they are "freaks from another planet," Or, as is typical, has a push pull response as a result of feeling some degree of fear that they might actually "catch" whatever the person they are staring at has that got them in the wheelchair in the first place. "They" remind me that it could happen to me; I feel uncomfortable.