SweetLifeStories Diabetes Blog

The curse of always trying to be . . .

Ahhh . . . the quest to always be better (if not perfect)! Shall I name the ways for those of us living with and touched by diabetes?

blood sugar levels

dietary restraints

 remembering to carry snacks (and glucose)

exercising not too much but definitely enough

following a routine

focusing on staying calm and happy

not snapping at our partner/spouse

trying to share just enough info about ourselves with friends and colleagues

meeting our health-care team at least half-way

 improving HA1C levels

being kind to our eyes

enjoying small treats likes tastes of ice cream, a bite of a cookie, and (of course) chocolate

not making ourselves crazy about all the what-if’s

finding friends with whom we’re comfortable sharing some the details of living with this disease

letting ourselves be cared for and loved

giving to and helping others

being happy with our own bodies

smiling–even when it’s hard to do so

moving to a positive state of mind

tackling new ideas, projects, hobbies and interests

BELIEVING that all things are possible

What thoughts and issues don’t weigh us down when we allow ourselves to feel burdened with the impact of life’s disappointments and defeats?

I strive to rise beyond these days. Sometimes all it takes to help is looking at my in-the-moment puppy, so filled with the joy of discovery that I can’t help but hug her and feel renewed. A hug, a connection, a friend. And all is better in my world.

B well, b happy.

Until next time, your friend kath

 Kathy . . . in haiku

      January 2011

 I was born early—

long struggling to find my way

in spirit and place.

Survivor, thriver—

I’ve learned a key to living

is looking forward.

My visions are strong—

realized through a camera’s lens

and other art forms.

I am a thinker;

creative problem-solver;

a great listener.

I relish in play—

everyday interactions

wrap me in happy.

I’m swept by passion—

more artist than scientist;

dreaming in color.

I’ve tasted success—

teaching and training, giving

to make a diff’rence.

Passionate trav’ler–

I love grasping warp and weft

of other life beats.

Still, dreams are many—

motivational speaker,

writer; gard’ner, too.

Despite challenges—

yet perhaps from their impact,

I assume little.

Laughter is a gift—

and opportunity looms

every day I wake.

Push onward, I say—

live extraordinarily

and never give up.

And those dreams? Still strong—

despite the cacophony

of spooling months, years.

They all nourish hope—

feeding every embarked step

of dazzling passage.

what feelings do other people experience when they’re introduced as “a diabetic” — or asked by a well-meaning friend or co-worker, “Should you be eating that . . . you know, since you’re diabetic?”

Here’s a poem shared by my friend Billy Brown, trying his best to live well with Type II diabetes, that will surely push the boundaries of people’s understanding of this disease and its impact on our psyches and lives!

   adjective or noun

           by Billy Brown

“a diabetic”

that’s what she said when

she introduced him

to her friends

no, not

“is diabetic”

nor

“has type two diabetes”

but

this is my husband William

he is

“a diabetic”

she “is”-ed him as if

she was defining who or what he was

as she might refer to

“a paraplegic” or

“a spastic” or

“an epileptic” . . .

(nothing personal

against all those people)

its just that he did not like

the sound of he is

“a diabetic”

as if he were personally responsible

for being criminally addicted to . . .

to . . . to . . . to . . . to

sugar . . .

a boyhood addiction

which any sensible responsible man

would, of course,

outgrow and therefore

he is not a sensible responsible man

but rather an un-self-controlled freak of nature

who should be put on display in a medical zoo

“a diabetic”

Arrgh! WHO opened the heavens to unleash thunder, rain, sleet, and snow on my spring garden at such a late spring date?!? It’s almost unheard of to awaken to such harsh elements after an average last-frost date of April 18th here in the high southwest desert! And despite the benefits of this moisture for my plantings, I just want my request to be heard!

Dear Mother Nature:

Regarding all your recent RAIN, SLEET, & SNOW . . .

A small note of thanks for nourishing my garden and helping it grow.

But as for me and the elements, I’ll admit I’m weary.

I’d give up some of that moisture and toil hard for you, just to get my blood sugars to stay steady and low!

So won’t you give it some thought, and maybe I’ll even sweeten the deal?

On behalf of blood sugars rising everywhere in the land of Spring Lion’s roar:  Won’t you seriously consider my query?

   D-I-A  Lament *

written by Kathy Richter-Sand

DIAbetic, dietetic:

My reaction’s so pathetic:

D-I-A words make me cringe

sending DIAstolic to the fringe.

What’s that you say? Why this reaction?

Oh my gosh, the stupefaction!

What of all those DIAtribes?

The endless advice so prescribed

by neighbors, friends, docs, nurses, too;

Why can’t this topic be taboo?

I’d consider a short DIAlogue

but my gut reaction wants to flog

my DIAbolic pancreas—

so cantankerous and non-robust.

My brain is sore with DIA-terms;

whooshing nonstop, I’ve had to learn

not only glucose ups and downs;

but Type 1 pumping words abound.

Go exercise but don’t forget now:

Eat food first, yet lose weight somehow!

Pass me that cake with artificial sweetener;

What’s that you say? Beware DIArrhea?

As for complications, convey no more!

I shout: Not me; I will endure!

Not whining much ‘bout circumstance;

just pleading for a fighting chance.

Don’t mean to threaten sabotage;

just wanna run, some days, from the DIA-barrage!

 * The poem D-I-A Lament was inspired by memories of how, as a teen, I used to cringe in embarrassment whenever anyone mentioned a word starting with “dia” (as in diabetes).  So I decided, once and for all, to serve that memory up with a dose of humor in my battle to ceremoniously give a good kick in the pants to those old feelings!

Anhinga: Seeking the sun's warmth-Everglades NP; Kathy Richter-Sand, photographer

Sunning, feathered wings stretched outward.
Preening, reaching, stretching,
long necks curled in fantastical loops.
Searching, ever so cautiously for new tidbits;
nourishment that sustains life.
Calling, honking, cawing as they seek
to connect to others of their species.
Taking flight, wings spread outright;
rising high into the sky
to move beyond all immediate threats.
These are the birds of the Everglades;
beautiful.
cautious.
free.

There are parallels between these creatures and me.
Lessons of habit, struggle, strength to be learned.
I dream of being like them.
My challenge is raising my own wings,
daring myself upward,
leaving the yoke of daily struggle behind.
Diabetes
my arch enemy, my nemesis,
is also my unimagined partner;
part of me.
I yearn to soar with a bird’s eye,
abandoning all fear,
beating my wings to song
rising on the drafts to sing;
focused.
spirited.
free.