It was one of those opportunities that you just don't say no to. Chances to appear in a documentary don't come along every day. And I just couldn't say no, given that I find allergies and our seemingly compromised immune systems incredibly interesting. And with all my goofy health issues this year, it was sure nice to focus on something completely different.
However, when Bruce and his team from the Nature of Things first arrived at the house, I wondered if I had made the right decision accepting the invitation to appear in the program. They wanted shots of the house, shots of the playground, shots of our living room, shots of me. Sheesh, I don't know if I'm relaxed and confident enough to just accept both the house and myself as we are and be set free, so to speak, in a documentary. With any luck they'll be able to edit out all of my perceived nastiness. What the heck, it's my home and I should be happy with it as it is.
So... Bruce and his crew filmed the boys playing on the playground and playing with bubbles. Then we all traipsed inside to watch Rosita, the woman in charge of sample collections with the CHILD allergy study, "collect" dust samples and pretend to take Andy's diaper. It felt so odd, I had a difficult time believing anyone watching the documentary was going to buy into our awkward "Here's his diaper, thank-you for coming" interaction. I'm definitely not an actor, this became glaringly clear as they filmed. The sound guy's microphone hovered ever closer as Rosita and I spoke at the door. Sound? Really. My goodness - I'm definitely outside my comfort zone. I'll be absolutely shocked if our brief conversation makes Bruce's final cut for the documentary. But the reality, way back when Andy was an infant, was actually remarkably similar to what was so terribly re-enacted.
During Rosita's sample collecting spree, Bruce commented on how cute and natural Andy was in front of the camera. Wondering what exactly he was referring to, I looked over and saw Andy sucking on the end of Rosita's vacuum cleaner. Cute? No, I don't think so. Disturbing? Yes.
After Rosita had packed up her things and left the house, we had to get down to business and do the dreaded interview.
Of course now I've had time to think. I could have said some intelligent things like: "I think, as a species, we've messed with Mother Nature too much and our immune systems no longer know how to react." or "I hope that we'll soon figure out where we've gone wrong and will be able to reset our immune systems, and in effect reduce or eliminate diseases like type 2 diabetes, MS, Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis and others that are considered to ultimately be autoimmune disorders." Shamefully, in reality I told Bruce "no, I don't have anything else to add."
However, what's done is done. I should be content that Andy behaved like an angel and Daniel enjoyed himself. As for me - I'm just glad it's over.
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