Pleasure Reading

This past week, I read another Temperance Brennan story, written by Canadian author Kathy Reichs, Bones to Ashes, one in a series of books with "bones" in the title. This one kept my attention as the setting included places I have recently been in New Brunswick, Canada, including Moncton, which g'son and I drove through on our way back from walking on the ocean floor at Hopewell Cape, along the Bay of Fundy. The story details geographical descriptions, French names, and a crime drama involving a leper colony. It was fun to follow along, sort of, rather than wondering what the places look like.

The other book that was somewhat personal was a basic TRN (Trashy Romance Novel) about a single mom who bakes wedding cakes, a direct conflict with her diabetes. I recognized some of the descriptions of her sudden "crashes" when she doesn't eat, is not well-rested, or becomes too stressed out. The story was my experience of traveling from SoCal to Canada for my son's wedding, called the "fog of diabetes" by the author, Linda Goodnight. Symptoms include sudden physical weakness, blurry vision, voices that seem to be coming from miles away, a killer headache, racing heart, shortness of breath, and the realization that I need help -- NOW -- but can't provide it for myself.

My eating habits have always been poor, so remembering to eat about every 3-4 hours isn't something I do naturally or well. However, if I don't eat, the effects on my blood sugar become apparent so fast that it sometimes catches me unaware. Because my brain becomes so sluggish when my sugar is out of whack, sometimes I cannot think what could be the matter, and if someone else isn't tuned in to my sudden behavior changes, it could become challenging medically.

I'm working on it, but it was somewhat comforting to read about a person dealing with diabetes since childhood who also sometimes forgets to eat and has to cope with the consequences. She, as I, has a close circle of friends who are aware of her medical condition and hand her food to get her through the crisis. I carry protein bars with me all the time -- I just have to remember to eat them before things get out of hand. Ditto water intake, which is vital for a diabetic, and especially one who lives in the arid desert! It's amazing how much fluid I consume in any given day -- and I always feel thirsty.

I always tell students to write what they know well, and these 2 stories reinforced that it also is nice to read a story about something I know, too.