Reflection

The Thinking Man, sculpted by Auguste Rodin

When we think about what we’re thankful for, it’s really just an exercise in reflection.  We reflect on our lives and what’s good about it, despite the harder aspects.  We pick and choose the bits of our lives that make us feel better; that focus on the positive.  I often reflect in order to find some rhyme or reason to this existence but, more than that, I try to enjoy moments.

Yesterday was full of moments worth remembering.  The surprise on my mom’s face when she realized that her granddaughter had travelled 7 hours to be with us for Thanksgiving.  Glimpsing two of my sons talking together about some common interest.  Seeing my brother and mom side by side, talking on the phone with my sister.  Hugging my wonderful husband just because.  Enjoying card games and pumpkin pie with people I’m blessed to have in my life.

I wasn’t really concerned about “surviving” Thanksgiving with D.  I pretty much know all the tricks and have gone through 7 Thanksgivings since my diagnosis.  In the past I’ve tried denying myself, over-indulging with a side of guilt and all things in between.  I have stopped worrying about dealing with food-related holidays and tried to focus more on the people aspect of it.  It’s taken me awhile but, by George, I think I’ve got it!  This year I grabbed my smaller plate and put on it things that I knew I’d enjoy without overdoing it.  I had a small bit of stuffing (cuz I adore it) with a tad of gravy on top.  I skipped the potatoes but tried a bit of my homemade cranberry sauce (which I’d never made before.  It is so easy!!  Ocean Spray just lost a customer.)  I had to have a small piece of the homemade wheat bread that my youngest son had made.  So good!  A bowl full of salad rounded out my meal. 1 ½ hours later I saw a 149 on my meter.  Hey, I’ll take that!  Later in the day I checked my bg to see if I could manage a piece of pumpkin pie: Before – 105, after – 117.  Score!  (I even had a dollop of whipped cream!)  This morning’s fasting reading was 109.  Color me happy.

I believe that we spend too much time reflecting on our lives through our utensils.  If the focus of our lives is on food, it can make for a slightly odd reflection.

I’d like to encourage you to focus more on the moments that make you happy and less on frustrations that make you sad, especially if they revolve around food and the things you can no longer eat.  Let it go and enjoy your life.  It feels so much better when you do.  

http://www.mydiabeticheart.com/diabetes-blessings-week/

Overload

I’ve been so busy! October and November have been amazing months for me in my advocacy for diabetes education.  I participated in my first Walk to Stop Diabetes, helped at two health fairs, attended my first diabetes conference and started a support group in my town.  I seem to have been spending an inordinate amount of time researching and reading articles pertaining to diabetes; treatments, research and such.  I began participating in the WEGO Health #NHBPM initiative where health bloggers blog every day in November on specific topics.  I got behind and now I’m mired…and tired.  I think the busyness I’ve been feeling is more mental than physical, although life has gotten busy around here too.  I’ve been running and running and I’m experiencing overload.

I have been living and breathing diabetes more than usual lately and I’m feeling the “burn out”.  I need to slow down.  I seem to have this burning desire to reach out to everyone who has diabetes and somehow make it better for them; make it right.  I know I can’t do that so why am I even trying?  Silly Kate.  I actually do know why I try; because it pisses me off that there are people out there who are diagnosed with T2 and aren’t given adequate information to control their diabetes.  It makes me completely insane that our food supply is corrupt and nothing is being done about it.  Sigh.

I made the tough decision to stop trying to complete the 30 days of blogging.  I’ve done it twice before and I love it, but it’s time to face reality.  You see, with all my advocacy and research and attempt to educate others, I forgot one very important thing: to take care of myself.  I have let my own diabetes control slip and I’m paying the price in higher glucose readings and increased binges.  (They’re small binges but binges none-the-less.)  How ridiculous is that?

I will continue to blog because my mind is full of ideas to write about.  I will continue to move my little support group forward the best I can.  I will continue to communicate with the wonderful people I’ve met in the DOC.  What I need to cease is the relentless pursuit of diabetes information and begin again with my own care.  Sometimes too much of a good thing is anything but good.  It’s time for Kate to slow down and smell the lower carb pumpkin pie.

Day 14: Cupcakes and Unicorns

I’ve been out of town and am woefully behind on my #NHBPM posts.  I’m attempting to catch up today.  The prompt for day 14 is: Advice for dealing with negative feedback in your community.

 

The Diabetes Online Community (DOC) is a wonderful place filled with cupcakes and glitter-sprinkled unicorns.  Never is a negative word heard. Well maybe there are some times when people get a tad negative.  The people always get along!  Hmmm, there can be disagreements now and then.  We’re all in the same boat and we always paddle in the same direction! Yeah, well, not exactly.  Ok, ok, the DOC is just like any other community.  We all have something in common (diabetes), we all feel strongly about it and we all have different ways of dealing with it, both mentally and in our care routines.

When you put yourself out there in a blog or make comments in an online forum, it’s ridiculous to think that you will never receive negative feedback.  People are unique in that we have a brain that allows us to think for ourselves.  We develop our own ideas and thoughts about events, politics, religion and health, to name just a few.  If we all thought the same way about things it would certainly make for less strife, but it would be a tad boring, don’t you think?  I think it’s imperative to have an open dialog about our health.  I know that I’ve learned some valuable lessons from things others have said online.  For instance, I found that I am able to modify my diet in ways I never thought possible.  That wouldn’t have happened without reading someone else’s thoughts on that subject, and even though I completely disagreed with them at the time, it planted a seed that eventually grew into something useful to me.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Some people are completely rude when sharing their opinions while others are able to have a respectful dialog.  My best advice for dealing with jerks who disagree with you is to let them think what they like.  You don’t have to engage with them and you certainly don’t need to try and change their minds; that’s not going to happen!  Most of all don’t let the turkeys get you down.  Don’t let naysayers and negative nellies keep you from speaking your mind.  Everyone’s ideas and opinions have value and I think it’s healthy for us to be exposed to a variety of viewpoints.  It’s not all cupcakes and unicorns.