I'm not "typical"!

Breaking News!  LOL. 

I had a physical today.  Mostly because I realized it has been so long since the last one that I couldn't remember exactly what year it had occurred in (and usually my memory is pretty good), and I was fairly sure my tetanus booster was either worn off or due to wear off soon.  Never mind all that yearly female stuff you're supposed to get checked, I need my tetanus shot!!  Living on a farm, having horses--which are carriers for tetanus--and preferring bare feet over shoes in all except the coldest weather, keeping current on tetanus boosters is a must.  Give me my tetanus shot!

Anyway, long story short(er), during the course of the exam (which came out A-OK, thanks for asking), the subject of dietary needs of a 'woman of my age' was broached by the doctor.  Huh?  I'm 39 still, thank you.  Really, truly, 39 1/3; I'm a December baby.  I just had kids young, that's all.

Supposedly us 'women of my age' need lots of Calcium and Vitamin D and I should be taking supplements of each multiple times a day.  Which I don't.  I don't take anything.  Unless I get into some poison ivy, then I run for the cupboard and take my little white Rhus tox. pills immediately!  I do a few other homeopathic remedies for other things when needed, but no prescription meds or other daily pills are taken.

It was at this point that I asked the doctor if I, personally, really needed to do that.  Or, in that quantity.  After all, given my lifestyle, I felt I probably wasn't all that deficient in them.  I proceeded to explain I don't drink pop and really haven't on a regular basis in over 18 years (some recent studies are showing that pop drinking can lead to calcium deficiency); that I drink milk (whole milk) and water, and drink them both on a daily basis.  I also eat veggies that are naturally high in calcium.  Therefore, I should be doing fairly well in the calcium department.

As for Vit. D, well, that's added to the milk, and made available free for the taking from the sun.  I explained that I live and work on a farm.  I am outside usually 3+ hours every day, all year long.  So I should be soaking up quite a bit of Vit. D just going about my daily activities.

The doctor looked back at her checklist (the one that said 'women my age' need lots and lots of Calcium and Vit D pills), looked at me, and said:  "You have a good point.  You're not typical."

ROFL--I'm not typical!!  I should have gotten that in writing and signed by her!  It was just so refreshing to have her say that.  You see, for years I've been 'weird', 'strange', 'Amish or something', 'crazy' and 'unusual'.  But I've never had the satisfaction of someone acknowledging that I am, by far, not typical.

I mean, typical people do not:

--decide, at the tender age of 12, that they want to have four children, and have them all before the 'old' age of 30 (I did!  Was all done at 26, rather a bit earlier than I'd planned, but oh well.  It's worked out okay so far.)

--as an honor student, inform their high school counselor that they did not plan to go to college or work in a professional position.  Their plan was to be self-employed, married, have four children and live on a farm (preferably a horse farm).

--breastfeed and cloth diaper their babies, even when working part & full time

--change their entire diet and lifestyle to avoid things they or their child(ren) are allergic/sensitive to rather than just taking a pill that masks the symptoms

--strive to grow/raise as close to all of their food as humanly possible in their climate, including tending a garden that is larger than the average city lot

--dream about being off-grid someday

--feel that raising mature, intelligent, responsible, self-sufficient citizens is more important than any career

--take the education of their children seriously and are actively involved in such education rather than blindly turning their kids over to an institution for 13 years each.  (I don't homeschool, but I afterschool and 'in-addition-to-school' and have been actively involved in both the parochial K-8 school and the public high school my children attend.)

--shoot, then field dress and process deer for their red meat

--raise and butcher the chicken they eat

--happily give up no-work-involved propane fueled heat for cutting, splitting, and stacking wood, then going out twice a day no matter what the weather to stoke the outdoor wood boiler for six months of the year.

--begin a chicken pot pie dinner nearly a year in advance by ordering the chick,  planting the potatoes, peas and carrots, and rendering the lard to make the crust with. . .

--tap maple trees and make syrup just to 'see what it's like' and then decide the syrup is so delicious (and healthy!  lots of minerals in real syrup) that they will never buy hfcs syrup again.  And proceed to collect and boil down 120 gallons of sap the following year just to get less than 3 gallons of syrup at the end.  (I promise to get a making syrup post up soon; I need the pics off the camera first, and the camera is still on Spring Break)

--design and then build their own house (and barn, and chicken coop and. . . )

--brew their own beer and make their own wine

--beg their DH to let them get a milk cow (still not working; I'll keep at it, lol)

So, yeah, I'm definitely not typical.  It's just nice to finally get proper recognition for that fact.