Difficult Things

My "lot in life"- that is the subject of today's post in the challenge. I won't lie, my life is not filled with the adversity of disability, illness, minority, or poverty. I'm a middle-class, educated, white female in America. Life is good, though not without complaint.

But I'm not going to take the easy road and laugh this post off with a "my life is great, I have no complaints!" No. I have two very specific complaints, things that are difficult for me, that I did not ask for, things that I have to work with.

I'll start with the more superficial of the two: I have an hourglass figure. I don't quite have the "true" hourglass figure- my waist is only about 9 inches smaller than my bust, not the required 11. I have finally come to terms with my body shape, and I really love it. I'm lucky to have a waist. I finally believe I'm lucky to have boobs (and dear Lord, please protect them and keep them healthy). Having hips is also not bad, especially considering what I can do with them when I dance.

Old pic, no makeup, but this give you an idea of my shape.

But good Lord, shopping makes it all too frustrating for me. When you're a size 8 in the bust, a size 4 in the waist, and a size 6 in the hips, it's really tricky to shop for dresses and swimsuits that are flattering. That is the key- I cannot follow trends, for the most part, because I am not shaped like the long, lithe body that the designers are designing for. It's a short trip from blouse-y to fat/pregnant. I have to stick with form-fitting clothing, but again, what is snug in the bust tends to be loose in the waist. So I shop around. Thank goodness we have Joan on Mad Men making my shape a little more popular, I just wish it translated more to my price point. When I'm shopping, it takes everything I have to remind myself that I'm not fat or ugly, but that the clothes were simply not designed with my shape in mind. So I search, search, search, and I snatch up anything that fits me perfectly and wear it until it starts to fade and fall apart. That is how I deal.

My second complaint about my lot in life is medical: I have Raynaud's. If you've never heard of it, it is an autoimmune disorder that affects my circulation. Basically, when I get cold (or even if just a cold breeze passes along my neck), my body freaks out and thinks it is being attacked, stopping the flow of blood to my extremities. My fingers, and, more predominately, my feet will turn white due to lack of blood flow, then purple, then bright red when the blood finally returns (which can be up to half an hour, at its worst). No big deal, you think? Well, it's not so pleasant when you are walking on pavement, bundled to the brim, and you feel like you are walking on pins and needles and your fingers are throbbing. It is painful, y'all.

Gross, right? Those yellow spots are where the blood is not flowing.

So how do I cope with my Raynaud's? I dress more warmly than the weather calls for. I keep fingerless gloves on me at all times, though in the summer I can forget. It really is ridiculous that, even in the Summer, I have to keep gloves on hand else I have an attack. You see, air conditioning is a bitch. One burst of cold air can trigger a full-blown attack. I also try too keep warm socks around, and tend not to wear sandals unless I am going to be spending most of my time outside on a a hot day (which for me, is 80 degrees plus, though in Portland, OR, where I live, locals consider any sunny day above 65 as hot and reason to shed all clothing and shoes). Also, I keep the Summer scarf in vogue- thankfully Target and H&M have lots of light, cute ones that that I don't have to stick out like a sore thumb.

There you have it, my lot and how I deal. Does anyone else out there have Raynaud's, or know someone who does? Do you have something difficult that you cope with? How do you deal? I'd love to hear from you!

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