It started off as a normal day.  As I took the demigoddess to school, she complained that her daddy forgot to put out some shorts for her to wear under her dress uniform. I told her that I'd get her some shorts for her to wear under her uniform at her school's spirit store.  After I made my purchases, I decided to stop in and visit my sister who happens to be the school's nurse.  We chatted for about an hour. During that time I had her test my vision with and without my glasses.  With my glasses I can see 20/15 -- without my glasses I'm as blind as a drunken bat! I'm 20/100 in my right eye, meaning I can just barely see the line below the giant E and 20/40 in my left eye which means I can see two lines above the 20/20 point on the chart. Then, I saw a poster on her wall talking about insulin resistance and diabetes. It talked about symptoms of diabetes in children and showed pictures of kids with acanthosis nigricans - a darkening of skin usually around the neck and in the arm pits.  This is can be a sign of insulin resistance.  I asked my sister to check the back of my neck and she said it had a slight amount darkening. Earlier in the year I found out I had mild insulin resistance so I wasn't surprised. I wanted to cry. Not because of the  insulin resistance, I knew about that and at this point I can do still do something about it.  I just hate having a dark ring around my neck!  Sorry, but sometimes I'm just that vain! Afterwards, I checked my blood pressure and saw that it was borderline. Since I'm black (*gasp* who knew?) I am supposed to view borderline results as positive results for hypertension since studies have shown that hypertension in African-Americans is more resistant to treatment.

Acanthosis nigricans

Before I left my sister's office, my mother, who also works at the school walked in.  As some of you know we had a falling out about a month ago and we haven't spoken to each other since.  We greeted each other cooly and I left. Suffice it to say, after learning I was almost legally blind in one eye, having my sister find a slight darkening around my neck, getting a borderline / high blood pressure reading and having a tense run-in with my mother, I left the school feeling rather shitty.

 When I got in my car, I checked my cell phone and saw that the day school director at my church called. She apologized that it was last minute, but she needed me to sub for the music teacher today. I told her I would be there as soon as possible. When I got there, I learned that each class was only 15 minutes long because the children ranged from ages 2 - 5. The teacher provided a song and dance CD for all ten of her classes.  When I got there I had seven classes left to do.  By the time I finished for the day, I ended up doing the "Chicken Dance" 14 times (because on the CD it is done twice), the Itsy Bitsy Spider dance and "Head, Shoulders, Knees" and Toes (now known to me as "Head, Shoulders Knees and Ohs!") seven times and the 'New Zoo Review" dance where I had to move and act like various zoo animals seven times. A SISTA WAS TIRED AS H-E- DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!  After hopping around like a kangaroo and doing the penquin walk, I'm sure my knees will be giving me the blues later. Talk about God opening a window! It was like He said, "Okay Myclette, high blood pressure and insulin resistance? Get your ass moving! I'll even find a way for you to get paid for it!" 

When I left, the kids kept hugging me and waving at me. Two of the children in one class wouldn't leave!  "Bye Mrs. L.," some of them said. "We love you!"  Awww, sometimes kids really know how to brighten your day and make you feel like a superhero.