Another name for God: SURPRISE!

Pete and I were at a party last night. That is a very big deal for us. Socializing is one of the 'ocassions' that have become a rarity for us. We had been looking forward to this all year long, and oh how delighted we were to be there with a circle of friends from our Seattle MCS Group. Gathering, partying, and being in groups in general becomes difficult when you live with MCS. So to be IN A HOUSE that is comfortING, with people who are fragrance free and accomodate the rainbow of needs we Canaries have ... that was an ocassion of sheer joy. Thank you all so very much for the huge antidote to isolation in the form of companionship, recycled gift giving and receiving and good food!



In the two years since the illness exploded for me, our social life dried up. Mind you we were never big social animals, but dinner with friends and family was a regular thing ... perhaps, a thing taken for granted. Today the fact that most of our friends and family wear and use fragrance means we do not gather with them. Miss Molly from I LEARNED SOMETHING TODAY also writes a space called I LEARNED THIS BEFORE TODAY where I found a stunningly funny and point-on article called "If I wanted to visit you, will I kill you?" (click here for the full article). Here's a clip of that article:

You probably wouldn't kill me. If you only have a few hours, we can probably meet at the national park or someplace outside as long as there's a breeze and I stay upwind. If you use dryer sheets or heavily perfumed anything, it'll be better if you wash your clothes twice in baking soda and hang them out overnight before we get together. If you're going to stay a few days, here's the drill:

1. Assemble your untreated cotton clothing. (Wrinkle-free cotton and any synthetic hold fragrances like you wouldn't believe.)

2. While you're sorting things, run your washer with a gallon of vinegar in it and nothing else.

3. Now you can wash your clothes, using hot water the whole time. The first time, use a cup of vinegar for detergent. The second time, use a cup of baking soda. Now just use water for about four more times, and then you're ready to put things in the dryer, assuming you've never used dryer sheets. If you use dryer sheets ...

The season when family and friends look to celebration and partying might mean dealing with your peeps with a Miss Molly drill. It's never easy for me, and I've yet to be as clear as MM is. Some friends have just dropped out when they've received a letter like this from me. I may try it again though, because I do miss those friends.

My son had the book THE LORAX by Dr. Seuss for a very long time. He might still carry that book around with him today? When I went looking for a picture to tag on to this post I found this in a folder marked "Sample Pictures." If you don't know the story of the Lorax, the very short version or moral of this Seuss classic is to be careful of power and progress and the fumes of fragrance making. You might just be calling on the Powers of all, whose name is 'GOD' to some and to others her name is 'SURPRISE!'