So often in my life, art imitates life.  It’s the oddest thing. It’s almost like I manifest stuff for myself.  Let me be clear:

I don’t seek out these random bad situations for myself, they simply happen.

Last Monday, I spent some time in the ER. It’s very friendly there.  I spent five hours in the waiting room watching You Tube videos with a guy that needed stitches and chatting with my dog trainer.  My diagnosis was–get this–kidney gravel.  This is not something that you want to be dealing with, but I’m a big girl.  I can handle my gravel. Right? It’s not like a full kidney stone!

The next day–after six ibuprofens in six hours & about twenty glasses or so of water–I drove up to Brunswick, Maine to do some research on Joshua Chamberlain.  You know him: Famous Mainer who let the 20th Maine at Gettysburg.  Well, turns out that me and Joshua have some issues in common.

The tour started well enough.  It was a little busy so we went upstairs and checked out the Longfellow room and explored the history of the house.  I was perfectly fine for this part of the tour.  Then, I started to get a tad uncomfortable.  My back hurt.  I had to pee (You think I would’ve figured this out before the tour!).  Honestly, I started to get a little sore all over.  That’s when I heard about Chamberlain’s issues.

You see, at Gettysburg a bullet ripped through his horse then went into his hip and groan.  As I was hearing this news I was starting to sweat.   When I heard that his bladder had been nicked, I actually felt his pain. This wound almost killed him and affected him for the remainder of his life.

My kidney gravel and Joshua Chamberlain’s broken bladder made this not the most informative tour for me.  I didn’t ask one question.  I left without my story, but I feel that Joshua was speaking in my ear that day.

He was saying, “Let’s stop talking about our bladders.  It makes me need to pee!”

Life often imitates art.

So sorry that I shared.  It’s ridiculous and not at all important.  But really, does this weirdo stuff happen to you?

Oh, and the tour? Totally worth the price of admission, but don’t go with a case of the kidney gravel.  It won’t end well.