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Disaster Houston Style
In the mid-1970s, I relocated to Houston, Texas. I had never set foot in Texas before. This was my first experience living in a big city, and I found it both intimidating and exciting. I interviewed with several banks and was offered a position with Houston Citizens Bank and Trust, located right in downtown Houston. I was thrilled with myself for landing a job so quickly.After adjusting to the roaches that emerged from the faucets and scurried back into the walls the moment I turned on the kitchen light, I slowly settled into my new surroundings. My biggest challenge, however, was the ever-changing weather.
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Kool-Aid Dreams, Sugar-Free Reality
Growing up, our kitchen was basically a shrine to non-sugary food. Cereal came in shades of brown and tan, full of twigs, nuts, and the promise of “regularity.” The sugar cereals—the bright, cartoon-covered boxes that called to every kid on Saturday mornings—were strictly forbidden. I swear, if it didn’t say bran somewhere on the box, it didn’t make it past the pantry door.The same rules applied to drinks. Kool-Aid was a four-letter word. Sugar was the enemy, and my mom was the general leading the war against it. While other kids stirred neon-red powder into their water and shouted “Oh yeah!” like the Kool-Aid Man himself, we were mixing up Crystal Light—because apparently, if it was sugar-free, it was “just as good.”
It wasn’t.
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No Escape From Exhaustion
There are different kinds of exhaustion.There’s the kind that makes your legs ache, your eyes droop, and your body scream for a bed. But for me, the exhaustion that hits the hardest is the kind that settles in my mind.
When I’m truly tired, I lose the thread of my own thoughts. I walk into a room and have no idea why I’m there. I stare at my calendar like it’s written in code. I’ll be mid-sentence and suddenly—poof—gone. I’ve got no idea what I was saying or why I started saying it in the first place.
It’s not just forgetfulness. It’s like someone unplugged my brain and forgot to turn it back on.
This kind of tired showed up early. I remember falling asleep in school during film strips—the moment the lights went out, so did I. I was still involved in everything—after-school activities and dance—but during the day? If I slowed down for even a minute, my body would try to shut off.