Wearied by humid
heat, each minor task seems Herculean, even more so when it involves a trip
into town. For many years now I’ve been unable to face travelling any distance
but, it has become increasingly difficult to steel myself sufficiently for the
very short journey into the town centre. Chauffeured by ma belle Helen it’s
only a matter of 5 to 10 minutes in the car, but even that becomes quite
arduous when the stifling heat seems to amplify the sensory overload of passing
traffic and scurrying pedestrians both whilst journeying and on arrival at
one’s goal.
Earlier this week I
had to travel into town to collect my new glasses, of the spectacles not the
drinking vessel kind; a short trip on a day when the heat proved overpowering
to me. An additional problem, on this occasion, was a diarrhoeal flare up of my
IBS. A quick visit to the toilets at the shopping mall found all cubicles
temporarily “out of order”; the subsequent scurrying to a large store, and ride
up the escalator, proved somewhat disconcerting as the whole abdominal area felt
as if an excruciating fermentation or percolating process was occurring.
Having reached the
necessary facilities in the store both cubicles were occupied as I waited cross-legged
and anxious for a unit to become available. As I’ve said before, visits into
town are always a discomforting experience for yours truly but, this time, the
humidity of the day alongside my turbulent abdominal spasms caused additional
distress, on top of a familiar state of sensory overload.
It was really touch
and go as to whether I managed to keep the appointment to try on and collect my
new prescription eyewear. On the verge of a panic attack, I did manage to
collect the optical item although I was more interested in getting back home
than giving myself sufficient time to fully check that they were OK. Whether or
not they proved satisfactory was of far less importance than the rest and
facilities waiting for me at home.
