We looked at a truck, and got whacked! (A cautionary tale about 'fresheners')

"Historically, chemical companies have painted environmental illness as a psychosomatic condition in the public eye in order to protect their interests; if it were acknowledged that their chemical products caused disabling illness they would be liable for millions of dollars in damage." - Planet Thrive "Chemical Sensitivity"

Yesterday, we filled the partly cloudy Wednesday with cooking up a serving of Nirvana is our Game a name we've given for comfort food for our pal who is recovering from knee surgery and the recent loss of her father. I found a pork roast, rustled up a recipe including a Dijon mustard and orange marmalade sort of herb paste; peeled and chopped up parsnips and carrots; cooked a pot of wild rice with garlic and celery and cooked up the roast with a fresh sprig of rosemary (from the Prairie Front) and by late afternoon dinner was ready to be delivered.

We timed the road trip north to West Beach to allow for a scheduled look-and-sniff appointment with a Ford 250. The pickup included in this post is a similiar model truck. The truck we looked at was a different color, and slightly younger model. IT WAS THE TRUCK OF OUR DREAM, BUT ... the owners had cleaned up the truck and stuck 'freshener' in it. A contradiction in terms, those chemical deodorizers are legal chemical death on wheels (pardon the pun, but really!#*).

The thing that happens with us EI/MCS is we know those things are death, but every once in awhile the seduction of 'being just like everybody else' gets us. This was THE perfect truck on the outside:

• the price was right (it'd been reduced by 2K between the first time we saw it a few days ago)
• the towing capacity was perfect for hauling the vardo
• the color was so cool
• there were new tires
• and a rebuilt transmission 

We made the mistake of being lured into believing we 'might' be able to do this. Astrology explains the conflict going on here ...

"Wednesday the Moon squares Venus, then it moves over Pluto by Thursday morning. It squares Uranus and sextiles Chiron. You can be shocked and gutted, or you can take it in stride and learn.

I remember finding it depressing when people touted the whole no pain, no gain thing. It felt like they were saying – suck it up, your pain doesn’t matter. But there’s truth in it. The truth is that Pluto and Uranus type turmoil churn things up to the point where change and gain are possible. No change means no gain either. When things are too settled, there’s no opportunity. Look for your opportunity! But make sure it’s a choice for good not desperation..." - Satori

We were so hoping this truck could tow us 'into the golden sunset' and be the solution to at least part of our chaos. Instead, the experience with the Ford 250 left Pete saturated with chemicals (he drove it onto the highway ... oh, it drove so easily) that sent both he and I into the zone of frazzled brain and body symptoms (tremors and difficulty breathing, heart palpitations and anger) ; multiple showers (for Pete) helped a little; the bedding is being washed and thank the gods it's a clear day and we can dry the sheets; and the trauma of an exposure wears on the soul of relationship.

It's tough to remain resilient and not desperate. We're sorting through the experience and sometime today or tomorrow we need to find the opportunity suggested in the astrology. We all get 'whacked upside the head' and it's easy to think we're the only ones: 'shocked and gutted' state of being.

Parts of the same day can be Nirvana (the post-eating-pork roast review was "thumbs way up"), while other parts are Hell. Wheww, the reality of being human is a stretch and human with MCS is like all these stretches put together!!!:)

Ever been there?