I have a voice. I have things to say and blogging has given
me a platform where I can say them. When
I began blogging in February, 2011 it never occurred to me that I would become
an advocate for living a good life with diabetes; that wasn’t my intent. My intent was to have a place where I could
write down my thoughts about my diabetes while practicing my writing
skills. (I gots skillz??) Just maybe I would be able to improve some
things about my life with diabetes…and it worked. Blogging about what I’ve done or things that
I’m contemplating makes them seem more real and it helps to keep me honest with
myself. If I put it here then, dammit, I
should be doing it! It’s working.
One side effect of being a blogger about
diabetes is that I’ve found myself in the middle of the DOC (Diabetes Online
Community). The DOC is a lovely place
full of unicorns, glitter and cupcakes as well as rants and fears and brutal
honesty. In a world that’s become
increasingly “virtual”, the DOC is real.
It’s full of real people sharing with and supporting each other the best
way they know how.
Does this mean that everything we read in
the DOC is gospel? Nope. It may be gospel to someone but it doesn’t
mean that it’s gospel to everyone. That’s
ok. Who says that we all have to
agree? Who says that each of us will
find success following the same path?
Well, some people may say that, but they’re wrong. (You may say that’s my opinion, but it’s a
fact. Hey, it’s my blog!)
Over the course of this last year and a
half I’ve wavered between being pumped up and excited about what I have to say
and feeling as if maybe I’m full of hot air and should just shut up. I never thought of myself as an advocate but
here I am. I am an advocate for people
living with diabetes! Advocacy: What
does it mean? Advocate: to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument;
recommend publicly. (Putting it in italics makes it seem much more
important, don’t you think?)
So why
should people listen to me? (Here’s
where the wavering comes in.) There are
so many people out there who advocate for people with diabetes and sometimes if
feels as if they are akin to rock stars.
They’re popular and esteemed.
They go to summits and workshops and it seems as if they’re in a club
that I’d so like to be able to join. So
if they’re out there advocating and being heard by lots and lots of people, why
should I even bother to put in my two cents?
Because the more voices we hear, the better off we will all be. I don’t have to be a rock star in the DOC in
order to make an important contribution.
What I have to do is be honest and put my ideas out there in the hopes
that someone else will benefit. That’s
what I do. I may not have a huge
following; I may not get many comments but I do get an occasional word from
someone who appreciates what I write or tells me that I’ve helped them in some
way. That makes putting myself “out
there” worth it all. Some may disagree
with me or think that my ideas are useless but there are others who
benefit. That’s why many voices are
important. One size does not fit
all. I don’t spout gospel but I do hope
that what I say makes sense to someone.