From My Fish Bowl To Yours...

 Dear Fishes,         The Olympics are upon us and it's hard not to be inspired by the outstanding athletic prowess of the many athletes. Hearing the stories of how Olympians struggled with their sport and how they persevered in the face of adversity is inspirational; do we also give credence to those who are suffering on an Olympic level with disabilities? Society gives pity to those who have chronic illnesses and debilitating disabilities, but shouldn't those individuals be seen for more than they are? I think so.        Those who suffer chronic illnesses and other disabilities should be given gold medals for sticking with life despite the hell that they've been called to bare. Our society praises those who have bodies that are working in their prime and gives pity and sorrow to those who are fighting every single day of their life to live. It isn't glamorous having serious illnesses, thus why people don't feel inclined to give credenc...

 Dear Fishes-        Recently, within the last couple of months I went to "Taco Amigo" for the first time with my fiance. I had always heard good things about it, but had never ventured to its delicious locations. While we were waiting for our food, there was a man in what looked to be his 50's or 60's sitting down enjoying his food. I inquisitively asked if he liked "Taco Amigo" and he replied that it's his favorite. Our food came out and then I continued my line of questioning about the restaurant because I was curious. He was a die hard Taco Amigo consumer and loves it over Del Taco and Taco Bell (not hard to beat really).        It eventually came out that he breaks horses in and that's what he does for a job, but I could tell there was far more interesting things in this individual than met my eye. He had this gaze about him that was soul piercing and you could tell that he'd been in the service at some point, just because of how intense...

 Dear Fishes- *Spoiler Alert* Don't read if you plan on watching Bridgerton.        As most of you out there are aware, Bridgerton is a scintillating, scandalous, and addictive show....I absolutely love it. Once you jump into the story line it's hard not to be hooked on it, with all of the delicious men and tempestuous women, all in search of love and fine lineage to be had. It's a show, much like the Broadway show "Hamilton" that crosses boundary lines of race and the possibilities of what could have been if things were different during the 19th century. Hamilton was successful because it showed hutzpah by getting talented actors and actresses (who were also phenomenal singers) of different races (predominantly African American) to play people in history that were white in reality. It bespeaks of Shakespeare's "Othello" and how the main character was a Moor, which was quite controversial during that period of time and it was played by white people. ...

 Dear Fishes-        *Spoiler Alert* If you haven't seen the documentary and you want to watch it without spoilers, please stop reading for your sake as well as my own. I don't want to deal with angry people.        Recently, I watched the documentary of Celine Dion's titled "I am: Celine Dion." It was good but it was tough to watch because it was so raw and you end up wanting her to succeed, even though things don't look great for her because of the unfortunate illness that she's dealing with--"Stiff Person Syndrome." I've never seen Celine Dion in concert (I've always wanted to, but never had the chance), but I've grown up listening to her pivotal albums all throughout my life. After seeing the documentary of her struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome, I downloaded a lot of her songs that I had forgotten about from yesteryears, before when I was a teenager and she was the biggest name of all of the singers at that point. Celine Dion i...

 Dear Fishes-        It's two days after the fourth of July and my body is feeling it. Just going to activities tires me out the next few days and during the activity. That's what M.S. is like. You constantly have to be reserving your energy because it takes a lot out of you because of dealing with brain fog (where your mind has a hard time thinking), loss of energy, eye sight issues, and many other fun filled exciting times that you have to get used to while having M.S.. To top it all off, I have Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorder and then that makes me get weird infections that most people never get and I am like a petri dish collecting all of the illnesses like pokemon cards. It gets old, really. It's all the time.         If you didn't know this, M.S. is completely different for every single person. It's not like the flu, where you can expect the illness to follow a timeline. It's like having a real Chupacabra that does what i...

 Dear Fishes-         Today was the 4th of July and it was a lovely day for fireworks, food, family, and friends. What it is to have good friends! I am always amazed at how awesome my friends are. They have helped shape me into the person that I am today. I'm grateful and I try to bring out the best in my friends.         Besides taking in all of the accouterments of today and making an effort to stand with a humble heart to take a moment and reflect on how lucky we are to live in this land of the U.S.A..and blow up some stuff with sweet fireworks to make it a day of remembrance that freedom isn't free. People have died for this country, bled, and silently suffer the scars of war in their minds. Too many of our Veterans that live after serving tours in foreign lands and fighting America's enemies end up with what was once termed "Shell Shock" (PTSD) and sometimes end their lives prematurely due to not being able to express themselves fully. M...

 Dear Fishes-        It's that time of year again where all of the pyros come out of hiding and legally get to blow up thousands to tens of thousands of dollars and more of fireworks. Nothing says "MUR-UH-CAH!" like blowing up stuff. In all honesty, I'm grateful for those that have fought, bled, and died for this great country. While it isn't perfect, it's the free-est ( did I just make up a word?) nation out there and we have liberties that other countries take for granted and despise.         I realize that a lot of people don't like patriotism these days for whatever reasons, which is sad. It shows a lack of respect for a country that has done more good than harm for its constituents. I think of my father that served in the Armed Forces through the Army and what he had to go through to protect, honor, and cherish this country because he was willing to die for it. He later was in the government and continued his service there for a tot...

 Dear Fishes-        When it comes to sharing on the internets, one can never share too much or can they? I have this certain feel that I can share on the interwebs because I know that there are others out there hurting as well. I write mainly because it amuses me and helps me to get my thoughts out about subjects I don't feel I can fully explain in person. If you have gentle ears or delicate eyes, don't read below...it's probably for the best...for all of us.        Today I went to the urologist at the University of Utah. Going to the doctor is about as much fun as getting a shot and having hemorrhoids--but it's a necessary evil, let alone a specialist that looks at genitalia all day. Would that be considered porn? Asking for a friend...Going to said urologist in the past has involved "Urodynamics" on the bladder--which is like a track and field day for your bladder in the Olympics. I never thought I could be prostrated in such ways and be m...

 Dear Fishes-        I love how families work sometimes, with a heavy sarcastic tone. Some families work together, some play well, while others implode when something arises. I don't know about you, but my family is a lot like the latter. I've taken care of my ailing parents for 10 or so years by myself without much help from my siblings. I've done a lot of things that most kids will just turn their parents over to the nursing home to do, but I did it because I thought it was my duty to do such. I THOUGHT, nay I was expected, to be a caregiver, to my parents because that's what I watched them do with my father's mom when she became stricken with Alzheimer's disease.        I was thought of as the spinster at the time because I hadn't gotten married by my religious culture's usual preference of when to get married, which is in your late teens, or early twenties. Plus I have M.S. and who would want me, with that? Or so that is what I led myself...