raison d'etre

One little boy who came over today for the party came with a warning from his father: "My boy is allergic to horses. He can't get near them. If he gets anywhere near them, he'll swell up, he'll have a hard time breathing-- it will just be bad." I gulped, "Um, okay! We didn't plan to "play" with the horses today anyway. No horses on safaris, you know!" But hey, little kids are drawn to them, and they love kids! It's such a hoot to see Major begging for a tootsie roll or something... He adds, "Oh, and hay, too. Can't come anywhere near hay."

This reminded me of my friend in England. That poor soul gets the worst migraines from eating either chocolate or cheese. So, naturally, she avoids both of them.

Aside from B and my kids, and all of my brood of animals, I can't imagine anything I love more than chocolate, cheese, horses and hay. When one is having a baby, they tell you to think of a calming place. You spend many hours in childbirth class picking out your place to "visit" and imagining the entire sensory experience. Then, when the event takes place, you're all ready. Do you know where I picked? Not Mexico, not Hawaii, no beaches were involved. I picked the haymow of a barn. I love the wind whooshing through on a hot day, the cats underfoot, the smell of freshly cut hay.

So, please God, if you have to make me allergic to something, please don't let it be someone I love, chocolate, cheese, hay or horses. : )

P.S. The boy was fine, no contact was made with either of the culprits.