Life in Moderation

The last few weeks have been a lesson in ageing that I could have done without. 


I had a birthday. It was not a special birthday but it did signal a change from being in my early 50's to reaching my mid-50's. I had a good few days, the Queen had given the whole country a day off to celebrate my birthday (although I understand she had a bit of celebrating to do herself too!)


I took an extra day off so I only had 2 days to work before the weekend, but it seems even that was more than I wanted to do. In the end my working week ended after a day and a half when I left the premises in the back of an ambulance. 


Now, there is no need for concern. I am perfectly ok, fortunately. The same cannot be said of my car and a section of the office block where I work. On returning to work I somehow failed to stop in my selected car parking place and continued to drive across the pathway and into the wall of my place of work. I have no recollection of anything after turning my wheels to park and being aware that I was embedded in the wall with a plate glass window now in shatters, some of which was artistically arranged on my bonnet.


3 weeks on I still have no memory of those lost few seconds, but I do still have a job. My work colleagues were understandably concerned enough to call an ambulance and since then I have been having a series of test to see if anything may have caused me to be unaware of driving into a wall. As yet, every test has come back clear. I am very happy that is the case but it does nothing to answer the ever present question - how could it happen.


It had been raining heavy, my other half thinks wet brakes may be to blame. I don't know, I can't remember. My car is being repaired and will be back this week. It now has a name - Christine, it feels as if it has a malevolent streak.




One issue that has been identified from this is that my cholesterol is higher than it should be. So, I am now beginning to become an expert on saturated fat content of a variety of foods - and some of what I have been eating is unbelievably high in these bad fats.


My daily intake should not exceed 20gms. I love cheese, I love red meat and I love white bread. My daily intake was probably multiples of 20gms. So now, I have a whole list of food can't haves and, if I'm honest, most of my daily diet fell on that list. The items that don't, fall in the 'moderation'  column.


After 10 days of eating a low fat diet I am craving those items I can't have - I miss cheese. I could happily cut a chunk off a block and eat. I've watched a film this afternoon of Treasure island, where someone who had been living in a desert island for 3 years craved a bit of heaven - he wanted cheese. I know how he feels.


And so I have finally reached a stage in my life where it has to be lived in moderation. The old joke of 'it won't make me live any longer, it'll just feel like it' applies. My hubby is learning a whole new set of cooking skills and mealtimes are much more inventive than before. My refrigerator is full of strange foods never seen in there before and snacking consists purely of satsumas or sultanas. 


3 months. By then I should have my triglycerides back to normal levels and my eating habits retrained to believe this is normal.


And hopefully, in 3 months the wall will be rebuilt too, then I can put it all behind me and just accept it was 'one of those things'.


I will probably never know what happened on that Friday afternoon, and will always blame 'Christine'. All I can hope is it doesn't happen again.