Ahhhh, gravel.....

Is is just me or does it seem like everyday you read about another gal who has had--and still has-- an eating disorder?  I say still has simply because the disease can be under control but is never truly "cured".  So much of it has to stem from the unbelievable pressure on women (and men) to fit some stereotypical "thin is beautiful" idea that's been foisted upon us no matter where you turn.  Has it always been this way and due to today's technology we hear about it more often?  Are more women today getting honest and admitting their illness than ever before?  It's clearly not going away and if you've been to a gym recently you've seen it up close and personal, or at least I sure have. 

I wonder if gyms can even address this with a policy around people who are clearly ill, working out?  I'm thinking not.  I guess all they can do is call 911 when someone drops off the elliptical.  I've seen a couple of gals in recent past who just scared the liver out of me.  Yes, they could be suffering from something else entirely, but either way, the nurse in me can't help but notice.  Totally my issue, I recognize and admit.  Just makes my heart hurt for them, though.  What a lousy disease.

This morning I'm in heaven listening to the sound of gravel being scooped with a shovel on my neighbor's driveway.  There's a huge pile that was just dumped, and there's something about the scrape and dump sound that I just love.  Someday I want to have a little French or Italian patio--all gravel-- so I can hear the crunch when I walk on it.  And speaking of that, I woke up this morning with a really bad hankering to go to Europe.  It's been exactly a year and my internal Europe meter is cranking to go back.  This time, I'd really like to go to Belgium and Holland and see the tulips.  Knowing Fred, he will see this, roll his eyes, and come home and hand me the Rick Steves DVD.  He will think he's hilarious and laugh like a hyena.  That's OK.  All that will do is help me figure out exactly which cities I want to visit and whether I want to do a land trip, or a river cruise.  By the time I get the trip planned, he'll want to go.  He always does.