Monday, July 24, 2006

Not the Tremblin' Kind

I've had such a quiet day. Monday is always a metaphorical desk clearing day. I fall back to to my baseline activity level of being able to do very little. There is so much controversy about self-management in ME, I often give myself no peace wondering if I should be trying harder to do more. Yet my body craves rest like a wilted pot plant craves water. On Mondays (more than any other day) I try to listen to it and give my mind a rest too.
I remember once needing to get a taxi for a few blocks and an ex boyfriend saying to me in exasperation, 'Oh, for god's sake, how tired can you be?' And that's it in a nutshell. It's nothing to do with tiredness. It's some kind of cellular meltdown.
By evening I struggled down to the local supermarket. A middle-aged supervisor woman was yelling at one of the check-out boys in front of the customers. He had run out of change and there was a queue at his till.
'Don't stop serving,' she shouted.
'I've run out of change,' he said.
'You should have rung for change. Don't stop serving!'
'I rang before.'
'No you never,' she insisted for all around to hear.
What a sledge hammer phrase 'No you never' is. She really humiliated the poor guy, shouting further about how he was holding up the queue. I wanted to challenge her and say that, as a customer, I found this unfair and uncomfortable. I was a coward though. I thought she'd lay into me too. I wondered if I'd be mature enough in a few years to say something. (I regret being one of the 'neutrals' at school who would see kids getting taunted or bullied, yet we'd never dare to step in).
I paid for my biscuits and told the guy at the till that I thought he had been shouted at unfairly. 'It does'ny bother me,' he said. Whether true or false, I thought his response was stoical and masculine. I thought good on him for not letting his bottom lip tremble.
-C

3 comments:

Sue Jackson said...

You have such a way with words, Ciara - "Yet my body craves rest like a wilted pot plant craves water. " That's perfect. And I always try to explain to people that's it's not about being tired. I've come to accept that you really can't understand how debilitating CFS is unless you experience it yourself. I'm glad to hear you had a nice holiday!

Sue

Catherine Black said...

I agree with Sue, it's more than just being tired - it's so hard to explain to 'outsiders'. I feel I am a coward, my blog mentions none of the troubles I have with ME. Thanks for your honesty. x

nmj said...

She is a vile bully that supervisor. I hope she gets her comeuppance. Btw, I linked you on my blog today, C, crediting you with the 'some kind of cellular meltdown' expression, It is exactly how I feel right now, & I should certainly not be at this keyboard!