Guest Blogger-polooza Day 1: Kim

While I am with my family living up the Disney Dream, I have some amazing friends that are pinch hitting for me this week. My blog will dazzle you for the next five days with posts from some of the most amazing PWD, (people with diabetes,) in the blogosphere!

I begin this exciting week with a guest post from Kim Vlasnik at Texting My Pancreas.

If you haven't checked out her blog...cut and paste her URL now! Her humor, her candor, and her drive to make a difference inspires me! Thank you Kim for your words of wisdom today!

Okay.

Diabetes digs its claws.

Have you ever awoken, drenched and confused
Stumbled down a hallway that's suddenly sideways
With feet that won't keep step with each other?

A number like 45 looks so innocent
Until it shows up on that little hand-held, digital scorecard.

But you know what?
Numbers are kinetic and fleeting.
Digits don't have to be defining.
And I'm okay.

That my pancreas could realize
What my heart holds -
How embarrassed it might be.
Because then; then it would know
The guilt I feel when others are hurting,
Yet I'm okay.

Diabetes digs in; leaves its mark everywhere.

If only I could go back to that teenager I was.
If only I could tell her all the things she'd do.
I want to tell her to cut the crap and start paying attention.
I want to tell her that life will get much, much better, but not yet.
I want to tell her, despite her beliefs to the contrary:
Things will work out okay.

There are going to be days you feel like you've been run over.
You'll forget to bring test strips; you'll forget abouting testing completely.
You'll overlook insulin until the moment the thirst comes knocking.
You'll get looks. They'll stare.
They'll ask you why you can't even things out.
They'll ask if "that's a good idea right now".
They'll say they understand, even when you both know they don't.

Diabetes will try to bring you into the dark with it.

But you know what? You can survive that.
You WILL survive that.
You have strength in there; willpower; poise.
You've also got a snarky comeback on tap.
Use those; all of that.
This is about survival; this is about flourishing.
You're going to be more than okay.

Okay?