Duct Tape and Tattoos: Feeling Better with Laughter
By Leslie Cawley
My friend and I had a rather interesting conversation about how we were both “falling apart.” She was relaying her new diagnosis of Behcet’s Disease, “a rare disorder that causes chronic inflammation in the blood vessels throughout”one’s body. She mentioned starting treatment for her symptoms in hope of slowing down the disease’s progression. I, on the other hand, mentioned my Keratoconus, which “occurs when your cornea — the clear, dome-shaped front surface of your eye — thins and gradually bulges outward into a cone shape.” And to sum up my vision problem, it’s just going to get worse and not ever get better. In fact, it’s getting blurrier all the time.
Well, my friend and I got to thinking of solutions as to how we could keep ourselves together. The ideas came in the wildest way. Duct tape! That’s right – good old, reliable, sturdy, duct tape. But hold on, now. We’re not just talking about the plain old gray duct tape, no way. We’re talking about fashionable duct tape with hot pink and even a tinge of animal patterns. Might as well look nice, don’t you think? If high school students can make their prom attire out of this stuff, then by golly, we can make some styling clothes for ourselves!
Nina then suggested tattoos, and for a minute, I cringed. A needle coming at me? No, thank you. I was relieved when she said only the temporary kind. Whew! A girl also has to have some bling, so we added some glitter to our arm candy. Everything was starting to come together. And for the colors? Neon!
The whole point of the conversation was to make each other laugh. Mission accomplished. Laughter can make anyone feel better in spite of his or her circumstances, and you don’t need a scientific study to prove it.
Imagine two middle-aged women in their multi-patterned, colorful duct tape ensembles and glittery neon tattoos, navigating their way down the sidewalk and blinding others as they walk past.
Think I’ll start with something small, maybe a purse, what do you think? The tattoo can wait.
Leslie Cawley lives in Indiana with her husband and son, who is now out of high school, and dog. Her oldest son lives in the community with support and attends a day program through Outside the Box.
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