[9/5/23] #35 - Life comes at you
By Eddie Walls
[9/5/23] Life comes at you
A week ago at 11 pm my life changed. It was a change that was out of my control at first.
Her work phone rang as we watched Hard knocks. As she searched for her next crush as Coach Campbell wasn't featured this year she dismissed the season initially much like the call.
Then the phone rang again. She hurried upstairs and I could hear her frantically agreeing with whatever was being said.
She has been in the field for 7 years, 4 years longer than recommended for a social worker in her field. She applies for promotions to get her out of the field knowing the psychological damage it's causing. She is given raises instead but she does the job no one else wants too well. Devoted to every child endlessly.
I secretly pray for her to quit or get the promotion often.
She came downstairs with tears rolling down her face. She asked we go outside to talk in our hammock.
We have been in such a good place. We are wildly in love. We have never missed a date night in 3 years even during grueling seasons and long work nights we never, ever take a Tuesday night off.
I've never been treated so well and I try to reciprocate that respect and care as often as possible.
We have had more trials than most couples. Parents, friends dying, families shunning me, anxiety attacks, hospital stays, dad having heart failure. Her dog died on our second date when we walked our dogs. We have been through it all!
She found solace in becoming a classically trained chef via YouTube. That's how she deals with her stress.
For our 3rd year anniversary I bought her a industrial size mixer for her to take her pastry chef skills to a next level.
Out came cookies, cheesecakes, lava cakes. 2nd year anniversary came a custom knife set. Food is here 2nd love besides dogs.
As she sat crying profusely she explained it was her doctor on the phone.
One week prior we were watching her lions and her man Dan she couldn't see the score on a 70 inch TV.
I gathered her glasses and told her to make a eye Dr test and she agreed. That Monday she went to the eye doctor and something was massively wrong.
She had dropped 3 prescriptions in 1 year and she made a appointment for a physical for later the week.
She explained to me in the hammock she has diabetes 2 and her blood sugar is 8.8 and 9 is a stroke.
Her entire world changed with that phone call. So did our entire relationship.
I threw the mixer in the shed out of anger initially. I never knew her sister lost a toe already and her aunt died of diabetes. I was initially upset more of the never mentioning something as vital as this.
I gathered myself and we cleaned out every inch of the fridge throwing out cakes meant for sale, cream, sugar, white flour. Rice? Yes even rice. She begged me to understand as a Asian woman how vital rice is.
90 days. We have 90 days of zero sugar. One day at a time. One minute at a time.
Ive never been a parent, never intention to be one. Arguing over whether honey is safe and having someone storm off was new to me.
We got this though, I know we do. We got more love than most and we have been through harder times and worst. It's a diet, we were going to do one at some point.
She's in the gym 6 nights a week for a hour and I hired her a personal trainer. I'm handling all the cooking except for game nights.
I don't talk too openly about it but I went to Johnson and Wales for a year to appease my mom and sister. I love to cook but it's a challenge with the restrictions.
I've never been more happy to cook in my life. Tonight is brined pork chops, baked sweet potatoes and garlic roasted baby broccoli. We got this yeebee.
Thanks for the space as always and I hope week 1 of NFL and or week 2 of CFB you win every single end game. Enjoy it all, Eddie