Hello! I hope you are all comfortable and not melting like I am right now. It’s unusually hot for Oregon and I am desperately trying to avoid the dreaded under boob sweat right now. I really don’t know how to start this introduction so I thought I would just start by giving a little background on who I am and why I am writing this blog.
My name is Maegan, though my parents originally spelt it Megan. Like so many children of the 80’s it was super common name so I changed the spelling. I’m 38 years old. I know a lot of people don’t like to admit to their age, but that has never made any sense to me. That might because I’m AuDhD (autism +Adhd) so I can be very literal. I have really struggled with masking and finding who I am under my mask over the last few years. That will undoubtedly be a topic I will write about a lot.
One of the driving forces in starting this blog is that I am starting the process of having bariatric surgery. I had my initial consult last week and it really stirred up a lot of feelings that I don’t know how to deal with. I’m an introvert. I don’t always know how to explain my feelings well to people, but I maybe I can do better in writing.I’ve always struggled with my weight. I think my next post is going to be discussing why I am making the choice to have surgery, and that is not going to be an easy post to write. I’ve never had a healthy relationship with food, so it deserves its own post.
I hope that by writing this I can help myself as I go through this process. I would love if I can help others who are struggling as well. Whether they choose to have surgery or not. Everyone has the right to make their own choices. I am a huge proponent of bodily autonomy. For me this is the right choice, but I think everyone needs to do what is best for themselves and when it is right for themselves.
Why do you call air spicy?🌶️
You may be asking why I am talking about spicy air. Well that’s because I made the mistake of moving to Willamette Valley in Oregon in the summer 2022. I’ve always had allergies, but never to the degree that I do now. When I lived in Alaska I only really had allergies around Green-up, when everything bloomed literally overnight, and when the cottonwood bloomed. I’m extremely allergic to cotton wood.
I lived in Alaska for 13 years, and I loved it there. I don’t handle heat well. I love the cold and snow. Unfortunately I have lupus, and there is only one rheumology clinic for the entire state. The cost of living was increasing, and I wanted to be closer to my parents as they are getting older. I have lot of family in Oregon, including my mother.
As soon as I moved to Oregon I started being told by family and strangers that the indigenous people allegedly called the Willamette Valley “the Valley of Sickness” due to how high the pollen count is and how sick it makes people. As far as I can tell this is just an old wives tale. I did research and there is no evidence that the nickname is at all related to any of the indigenous groups that live or used to live in the Willamette Valley. The nickname Valley of Sickness and the myth of the origin however persists.
I grew up visiting this area to see my grandparents and I don’t ever remember having issues, but I was a child. I do remember my grandmother sending me to pick blackberries a lot. Of course most of those ended in my stomach and on my face rather than being brought back to her. She knew that would happen.
The Willamette Valley is very fertile and there is a lot of farming. Unfortunately for those of us that probably should live in a bubble, breathing the air is painful. Shortly after groundhogs day I walked into the office for work and was just unable to stop sneezing. One of my coworkers looked at me and announced that they didn’t need groundhog Phil to announce spring because they had me.
This year I made the beautiful mistake of going to the cherry blossom viewing festival in at the Salem capitol. It’s allegedly one of the best places to see cherry blossoms outside of Japan and Washington DC. The trees were a gift to Oregon from Japan. The pictures on this post are from that visit. It was a truly beautiful day especially for March. Blue skies, hotter than I prefer. I slathered on the sunscreen, and braved the crowds. I barely lasted an hour. The air was literally burning my lungs due to the pollen and thus the name of the blog was born.
