High Heels

When you meet someone new there are basis we ask in order to “get to know” them. All of us have had the conversation, “Hello, my name is _____. I live in _____. I’m married and have __ great kids. Yes, I work at _____.”

I would say most people reading this know those basic ‘titles’ of mine. “Hello, my name is Dara. I live in Bixby, Oklahoma….I’m married and I have 3 great kids. Yes, I work at PathFinder Concepts”… a company owned by my husband. What most know (and some don’t) is that I have a chronic disorder, Epilepsy. According to the CDC: ... “Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures. A seizure happens when abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes an involuntary change in body movement or function, sensation, awareness, or behavior… “. www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/.../AAG/epilepsy.htm (Jan 29, 2010).

Basically what this means is there’s a lot I can’t do anymore. Drive. Walk alone. Zumba (I can, just no one will ‘attend’ me). Shower. Basically be alone (as of yet my seizures are uncontrolled). Yes, my life is about my medication schedule and good days vs. bad days.

I have begun to count my “non-seizure days” in weeks instead of days (record at this point is 19 consecutive days. YAY!!!!). I’m hopeful that I will begin counting in months and years soon.

Yes, since I’ve only been having seizures for the last 3 years to say it has changed the fabric and pattern of my life is an understatement. I hit my family like a tornado can our great state of Oklahoma…suddenly, out of the sky and for a little while at least, tore us apart while we learned to deal with it. My family has risen above and beyond anything I can ever describe….I’m going to detail just how amazing they are in a later Blog…

Some look at us and think we ‘take it too lightly’. That isn’t the truth—we simply refuse to allow it totally rob our life of joy so, we laugh and joke about it. We know the odds and dangers (87% of epileptic’s die of head injuries). HOWEVER, we refuse to allow that to keep us from living.

There are a few things I really miss tho…. And that is what this blog is about today.

I miss HIGH HEELS!!! No. I don’t have a place to wear them (I am only able to work because my husband owns the company and allows me to have seizures at work, watches me on my bad days, and gives me the chance to make-up hours as needed on my good days). That doesn’t matter! I just miss wearing heels. I see the new “Hooker Shoes” in the stores now and I want them—but why bother when I can barely walk at times and NO ONE in my family wants to try to catch me with 5 inch spikes. (As my wonderful oldest child pointed out one day when we were in a shoe store and I bee lined to the heels….).

I’ve considered buying them just to have them—so I can say I’ve got them—I can even get them out and just gaze at them in wonder. …. Aaahhh well…maybe someday again!

So ladies, wear those heels and think of me!