Listing Through Life

My wife and I went out to dinner last evening. When we exited the restaurant, it was 3 degrees and the car had been sitting out for an hour. It was cold.

I’ve recently been dealing with an ulcer. That’s under control. The bleeding has stopped. But I lost a lot of blood and I’m still very weak and occasionally dizzy — and always cold.

As I sat in the car, my entire body involuntarily knotted up from head to toe — like a clenched fist all over. I was cold in a way I’ve never been cold before — from the inside out. My bones were cold. That doesn’t happen to me. I normally get cold from the outside in.

I mentioned this to my wife through gritted teeth as I tried to relax my body. I said I was getting insight into what it’s like for women who are cold all the time.

She said, “Yes, that’s exactly what it’s like for me. Now you understand. Since you’ve experienced it, can you be a little more sympathetic toward me? Will you stop making fun of me when I say I’m cold?”

I replied, “Yes. Yes, I can be more sympathetic. But no, of course I’m not going to quit making fun of you.”