When I was in my doctor’s office’s waiting room, I looked through this brochure about eating right for diabetes.  I don’t have any type of diabetes or any other ailment.  I was only at the doctor’s for an annual check-up, which my parents are thoughtfully paying for.  Still, I read this short brochure, which was straight to the point and pretty helpful, or I thought it would be if you had diabetes.  And I wondered how you get a job writing these things.  I could do it!  I have a college degree in English literature and writing!  I could easily do ten of these a day and probably more.  All it takes is a little research and then you write it out in a way so that everyone can understand it.  Who do I go to ask about this?  I have no idea.  My parents have no connections with anyone in any field of employment unless I want to go into a trade like being an electrician or a carpenter.  But I don’t have a year or so to be an apprentice and starve myself to death.  Right now, I’m working in a box factory.  A box factory!  I look for misshaped boxes and mark down that they’re misshapen on a form and give that form in to someone who will go, take that misshaped box, and throw it into a separate pile.  I make 15 dollars an hour (without benefits) doing this and it’s driving me insane. 

The other day, the principal called for an all-school assembly early in the morning.  While I was thankful to get out of physics (which just shouldn’t be taught before 2 in the afternoon at the very least), I still felt too weary to really want to listen to whatever the principal had to say.  Though half-asleep, I still caught most of what he had to say.  Unfortunately, one of the science teachers (I didn’t get her name and I hadn’t taken her class) had died due to diabetes complications.  The principal teared up and then lectured us on the importance of diabetes monitoring, keeping your blood sugar levels low, and insisted that we all schedule regularly check-ups with our doctors.  A few of the other students even cried on their way out of the auditorium.  From the gossip out in the hallway and in the men’s bathroom, apparently the teacher had been really well liked.  She’d stood up to a group of parents who had demanded that creationism be taught in class here, though it was a public school.  She also apparently proctored detention a lot and had gotten along with all the troublemakers really well and had helped them with their homework.  I wish I’d known her now. 

Please don't despair if you are just returning from the doctor’s office with instructions to take your blood sugar on a constant basis. Don't go nuts if you are returning from the physician’s office with a diagnosis of diabetes. And, please don't lose hope if you are told that you have a potential for developing diabetes type two. Consider this a learning experience. There will be many new terms for you to learn. There will be many things for you to purchase, and there will be a vast amount of new things you will have to do. You will constantly have to be on top of your blood sugar levels. You will begin the day with it, and you will be ending the day with it. It will dictate what you eat, and when you exercise, and what medication you take. It will make you be very close with your physicians, and you will want to be in touch with them on a regular basis. You want to make sure that everything is going as planned. You should begin with this and then move on to many more articles to gain a better understanding of your disease. You should learn what needs to be done to gain better control over your health, the various monitors needed, what makes each of them different from each other, and how each will affect your daily life. You need to know why the monitor will alter the way you test yourself, and how the test strips and the monitor go hand in hand; the amount of blood and the amount of time it takes to get a reading; how often you have to take a test. Gaining a better handle on these items will give you an improved life and better health.

I have a date tonight! I think my dry spell is finally over. The day started off like it was nothing special. I went to class and we learned the differences between Type 1 and type 2 diabetes. After the lecture was over and just about everyone left the room that guy I've had my eye on for the last two semesters came over to talk to me! He told me that he's seen me around. I pretended that I didn't really know his name. I didn't want to admit that I already had the details of his first, last and middle name memorized and I knew who just about all of his casual acquaintances were! It was the most thrilling moment. I was worried that we weren't going to have any more classes together. That's happened to me before where I see someone I like but I'm too shy to approach them and then I wind up never seeing them around again. Anyways, we talked about what an interesting lecture it was and then out of nowhere he asked me if I would be interested in seeing a movie later tonight! Of course I said yes. In a little while I'm going to start frantically looking for what I want to wear! 

I've got a little homework assignment to do before I leave for my follow-up doctor's visit today. She wanted me to see what I thought of the new test strip. Once that's done, I need to pack all of the kids' lunches for school. I wanted to have all of that ready last night but I wasn't anticipating that phone call. I really can't believe my friend and her husband are separating. They always seemed so close. I think the news really shocked my husband and I. We had a long conversation about it when he came home from work. I can't even comprehend it. My “biggest” challenge right now is trying out a test strip and packing a few lunches while my friends are going through this huge ordeal, you know? Everything is going well in our family. I have my diabetes under control, the kids are finally starting to do well in school, my husband and I are happy and in love and I'm getting promoted at the end of the month. Things couldn't be going any better for us, really. I guess we imagined most of our friends and co-workers were in similar places in their lives. We hope things work out for them!

Grandma is showing her smarts again.  She and Mom are having one of their famous differences of opinion.  We went over to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner like we usually do.  It seems that Grandma has noticed that Mom is not her usual happy witty self.  This is what started the argument.  Even though they both say it’s okay for people to have a difference of opinion and that is what they always call it.  Grandma is worried about the diabetes that runs in our family and can notice if anybody seems to show any kind of symptom of it.  After many opinions had gone back and forth that Sunday, Mom finally admitted that she has been very busy at work and has not had time to eat properly so therefore we are not eating properly.  In other words we have been eating out a little too often.  Since Grandma is the same old stickler for eating right that she has always been and of getting exercise and plenty of sleep, she seems to notice when someone is not quite themselves and will want to know why.  Grandma has this way of knowing when someone has not been to the doctor in a month of Sundays.