JAWS

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It is one of the most fearful movies of all time…at least to me. It all started out living near South Padre Island when I was growing up. There was the beach that we would go to with my parents and siblings and my dad would take us out one by one, and sometimes by twos and threes, as far out as he could take us. This means that we would be bobbing up and down with the incoming waves and my dad would be hanging onto us with all his might. While my siblings thought it was fun to go out that far, I didn’t think it was that fun.

For some reason, I have always been afraid of going too deep in the waters of the ocean. I think it’s because I have no idea what is under me, lurking around me, or whatever it is that may decide to have me for lunch.

Once, during a family vacation to Nashville, Tennessee, we stayed with some friends of ours. I was only nine-years-old when my parents dropped my older sister, older two brothers, and my twin sister and I at the movies to watch Jaws. It is not a movie for nine-year-old boys who are already nervous and that have a touch of CDO (the letters are in better order this way). It scared me to death. People, swimming and enjoying their day at the beach, turned out to be the dish of choice for this humongous shark. At the time, I couldn’t tell if the shark was a mechanical beast or if it was real. All I knew is that there were people who were falling prey to this thing and they were being eaten one limb at a time. There was no police officer that would be able to stop this monster, no fisherman, no governor…and, yes…not even my father. This think was going to get me one way or another.

Well, after the movie I was so scared. Going to our friend’s home I remember passing the Cordell Hull Dam. Cordell Hull was an American politician from Tennessee and served as Secretary of State for eleven years. He was the one who informed the Japanese that he was fully aware that they had, unprovoked by the United States, attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Anyway, we arrived back at the guest house. After going to bed, I couldn’t get that shark out of my mind. I just knew that when we went back home, dad would take us all out to the beach and would want to take us back out to the first, second, and as far out as the third sand bar. I was trying to figure out an excuse for not going out that far into the water: “I can’t go out there, dad. I’m washing my hair that day.” or “I can’t go out there because mom needs someone to stay with her.” or “I can’t go out there because I’m allergic to sharks in the water who want to eat me limb by limb!” I just couldn’t think of a good enough reason, but I knew we’d be going back home and then to the beach.

That night, after finally falling asleep, It was the nightmare of nightmares. It just so happened, and I remember it as if it was yesterday, that the Cordell Hull Dam broke and fell apart. All of Nashville, Tennessee was under water from the break. And to my chagrin, just as the guest house we were staying in was smashed to smithereens, I witnessed the scariest thing in all of my nine years of life. It was the shark! He had been living in the lake that was formed by the dam and when the dam broke he came straight to the guest house where we were staying and he found my family. One by one I saw them eaten–limb by limb, piece by piece. I couldn’t do anything because I was not a great swimmer. Then the shark…the really big Great White Shark…turned it’s ugly face toward me and with mouth opened wide, after eating my entire family, was about to…

That’s when my dad woke me up as I was behind the door to the bedroom where I was staying. I’m so thankful that I have a dad who never took me out to the third sand bar again. I’m thankful that he heard my screaming that night, scooped me up in his arms, and comforted me and let me know that everything would be alright. I’m thankful that I’ve never come into contact with that beast…not even in any more of dreams.

Jaws…horrifying.

Silence

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She began her singing career as a child in the church her father pastored singing gospel music. in 1960, when she was eighteen years old, Aretha Louise Franklin set out on a secular career recording for Columbia Records. Unfortunately, with Columbia, her success was very moderate. It was after signing to Atlantic Records in 1966 that she achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as Respect, Chain of Fools, Think, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Don’t Play That Song (You Lied), and Spanish Harlem.

Ms. Aretha is called The Queen of Soul because of great albums she recorded such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I love You (1967), Lady Soul (1968), Young, Gifted, and Black (1972), and Amazing Grace (1972). Amazing Grace is the third live album released on June 1, 1972 and sold over two million copies in the United States alone, earning a double platinum certification. This still stands today as the biggest selling disc of Franklin’s entire fifty-plus year recording career as well as the highest selling live gospel music album of all time. In 1973, Ms. Aretha received a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance.

Accolades of all sorts have been given to Ms. Aretha. Many can be listed but there are so many websites that have all that she accomplished in her life. On August 16, 2018, at the age of 76-years-old, Ms. Aretha was reported to be gravely ill at her home in Riverfront Towers, Detroit, Michigan. She had been under hospice care and surrounded by friends and family. Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and exhausted ex-husband Glynn Turman, among others, visited her on her deathbed. She died at her home on that day. The cause was reported to be pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. It truly is one of the saddest days in history, August 16, 2018, the day that her voice was silenced.

Migraines Are the Worst

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I’ve written about migraines and headaches before. They are merciless. Migraines don’t discriminate against anyone: you can be black or white or hispanic or Asian or Middle Eastern, male or female, and whatever religion you want to be. When they hit someone head-on (no pun intended), they come at you with all sorts of side effects. And these side effects are not merely in your head (no pun intended again). These are real symptoms that affect many in our society. Some people grow out of migraines while others worsen with age. In my case, they are worsening with age. Migraines also often progress through four stages: prodome, aura, headache, and post-drome.*

Here’s how each of these four stages work according to the Mayo Clinic. The first stage, prodome, may start one to two days in advance of a migraine. There may be–but not always–subtle changes that warn of an upcoming migraine. For instance: constipation, mood changes, from depression to euphoria, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased thirst and urination, and frequent yawning. Some people may experience these symptoms while others may not. For me, I know my mood changes and my neck stiffens (this doesn’t mean that I am any more stubborn than I already am). But something weird happened with this latest migraine that I haven’t noticed before. I have been so thirsty for the last number of days. This particular side effect of migraine and headache has not affected me as badly as it has over the past week or so. I tell you this because the first thought that came to my head is that maybe my kidneys aren’t working properly or I’m all of a sudden a diabetic or something like that. Now that I know, I’m not worried about having to drink too much water. It’s just a side effect of the migraine that I have had now since late Sunday evening.

The second stage is aura. Aura may occur before or during migraines. I generally don’t have aura, but I’ve heard of this before. Instead, I see what appears to be hallucinations of small bugs crawling here or there which is a visual disturbance caused by the nervous system. Sometimes my eyes will zigzag back and forth quickly nauseating me and making me dizzy. Sometimes auras can be caused by touching sensations (sensory), movement (motor), or speech (verbal) disturbances. You may feel weak physically or you may feel as if someone is touching you disturbing your nervous system. Some of the other symptoms of aura might include: vision loss, pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg, weakness or numbness in the face or on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, hearing noises or music, and uncontrollable jerking or other movements. I experience the uncontrollable jerking and other movements while I’m trying to sleep the migraines away. Hearing noises and having lights around me are horrible when it comes to pain caused by the migraines.

The third stage is headache or attack. A migraine can last from four hours all the way to 72 hours if untreated. In fact, even if treated with medication it can still last for that long. The frequency and duration of migraines is different with each person. They may be rare or they may strike several times a month. Some of the effects of the migraines may include: paint on one side or both sides of your head, pain that feels throbbing or pulsing, sensitivity to light, sounds, and sometimes smells and touch, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, and light-headedness, sometimes followed by fainting. I’ve experienced the pain on one side or both sides of my head. This migraine this week has been mostly on the right side until this morning it has been on the left side. Sensitivity to light and sound is always an issue when I’m migrainous. I’m generally nauseated and vomit now and then and blurred vision is certainly the case with me, even with my glasses.

The final stage of a migraine is called post-drome. This occurs after a migraine attack. You may feel completely drained and washed out or you may even feel elated. Some of the side effects of this final stage include: confusion, moodiness, dizziness, weakness, and sensitivity to light and sound. I’m generally exhausted the day after the migraine ends and the left side of the back of my head is extremely sensitive to touch and may cause a headache again if pressure is put on it.

So what causes your migraines or headaches? I’ve discovered that the barometric pressure affects me in negative ways. If the barometric pressure dips below 30, I can feel it happening at least one to two days in advance. This means that there is low pressure happening such as a thunderstorm, rain, or cold weather. Even the slightest low pressure will affect me and I’ll end up with a migraine or headache. For some it is the foods they eat that trigger a reaction, or it is stress that triggers a reaction.

Whatever the case may be, they’re no fun at all.