Grand Slam Communication
Unless it contains arsenic, or salmonella, or E. coli, yes, he can eat that.
To all of my fellow Type 1 Diabetes parents, let’s play a game this holiday season.
Every time someone asks, “Can he eat that?” we take a shot.
Oops, I already lost.
Yes, he can eat that.
I’ve got my eye on him.
He knows what he’s doing.
Let him enjoy his holiday.
Not only is November National Diabetes Awareness Month, It is also NaNoWriMo.
The idea is to write 1667 words a day.
If you do that every day, you will have written 50,000 words by the end of November.
I’m not entering the official contest.
In the official contest you have to upload your manuscript to prove your word count.
I’m not that trusting.
I’ll do the word count.
But I’m not uploading my work…
November is Diabetes Awareness Month.
Both of my sons have type one diabetes.
I don’t need a special month to become aware.
I’m painfully aware of diabetes every single day of my life.
I vowed, on that first day, even though I was terrified, that we would simply make the adjustments and carry on.
And we have.
It hasn’t been easy.
Some days have been awful.
Diabetes is like that.
On the bad days, we make the adjustments and carry on.
Because f**k you, diabetes.
Sunday morning breakfast.
My favorite meal of the week.
When the kids were first diagnosed with diabetes, Sunday mornings were kind of a shock.
No more waffles.
No more bananas foster.
No more cinnamon rolls.
No more coffee cake.
We’ve made the adjustment, though.
Now its bacon and eggs.
Or omelets.
Or breakfast burritos.
It’s our new normal.
And it’s still my favorite meal of the week.
Happy birthday, Brandon Morrow!
Brandon Morrow is my hero.
He’s a world-class athlete.
AND he has type 1 diabetes.
Both of my sons have type 1 diabetes.
I’ve always looked to Brandon Morrow as a role model.
It’s not easy to have T1D.
Some days are really rough.
But if Brandon Morrow can succeed, we can succeed too.
Happy birthday, Brandon Morrow.
Go Cubs Go!
It’s wrong to laugh at the misfortunes of others.
I know, I know, I KNOW!
Today I was at the pharmacy.
With two diabetic kids, I am always at the pharmacy.
I was making my purchase at the counter when an angry and belligerent young man rushed up.
He was yelling and pounding his fists and making a scene.
He was furious because the pharmacy was out of pregnancy tests.
The clerk and I looked at each other and started to laugh.
So we both looked away.
I’m sure that the pharmacy staff has been trained to never laugh at the customers.
I, on the other hand, have had no such training.
And now I really want to know why there has been a run on pregnancy tests.
If I get struck by lightening any time soon, it will be because I laughed at the misfortunes of others.
Poor guy.
It was a great day!
We saw the Cubs at the Rangers yesterday.
What an exciting game!
It was tied at 10 in the bottom of the ninth.
The Rangers got a walk-off run on a wild pitch to end the game.
It was very disappointing for us Cubs fans.
Meanwhile, the weather was a very odd factor.
It’s been kind of cool these past few days, so I wore a heavy jacket.
When we arrived, our seats were in the sun.
It was hot, so I took off my jacket.
Soon enough, however, the sun shifted.
We sat in the shade for the rest of the game.
And froze our butts off.
I zipped up my jacket, pulled on the hood, and was very glad that I found some mittens in the pockets.
I wished I had also found a scarf and a blanket.
As the Jumbotron scanned the crowd, the sunny-side people were seen wearing short sleeves and looking kind of sweaty.
The shady-side people, on the other hand, were seen wearing jackets and hats and were shivering.
It’s hard to believe we were all in the same stadium.
The only disappointing part of the day, aside from the shade-induced frostbite, was that Brandon Morrow didn’t pitch.
I’ve been following him for years.
Brandon Morrow is my hero.
He is a Type 1 Diabetic AND a world-class athlete.
There are other T1Ds that could be a role model for my kids.
But they’re not particularly relevant to a young man.
Mary Tyler Moore (who?).
Sonya Sotomayor (meh).
Nick Jonas (….fuggedaboudit)
But Brandon Morrow…
Now there’s an amazing role model for any T1D kid to emulate.
Sorry we missed you Brandon – we’ll be following you all season.
It was a great day!
When someone who knows nothing about diabetes
starts talking to me about diabetes…
I used to get mad.
I used to argue.
I used to try to explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2.
But I have learned that it’s pointless.
It’s like trying to discuss childrearing issues
with someone who doesn’t have kids.
I thought I knew everything about being a parent.
But when the kids were born, I realized I didn’t have a clue.
I thought I was pretty well informed about diabetes, too.
But when we were diagnosed, I realized how much I had to learn.
Nowadays, when a non-diabetic tries to tell me what’s what,
I just ask a question about insulin ratios or long-term A1c levels.
I might even talk about changing the lancet.
With a straight face.
Just to see their reaction.
They never have any idea what I’m talking about.
Then I go home and tell the boys about the conversation.
We laugh and laugh and laugh.
I’m collecting stories about someone who knows nothing.
One day, they’ll make a great comedy sketch.
I’m starting a blog.
Facebook is easy.
We’re already friends.
I don’t have to explain myself.
I write my goofy stories.
And everyone knows what I’m talking about.
I don’t have to explain a thing.
Blogging is different.
People don’t know me.
I have to explain.
But explaining ruins the rhythm of the story.
It’s kind of like explaining a joke.
If you have to explain it, it’s not funny.
So I will write this first post to introduce myself.
After that, I’ll just write.
I am a mom and an empty nester.
I have two grown sons.
Both of my children are diabetic.
Diabetes is a nightmare.
But it is also our completely new-normal status.
I have a wonderful husband.
Who fixes things around the house and generally makes himself useful.
And is occasionally the subject of some hilarious stories.
I have a dog.
She is lazy but very cute and cuddly.
I often remind my family that the dog is my favorite child.
I teach English as a Second Language to adults, on line, around the world.
I am a Toastmaster.
A Distinguished Toastmaster.
Being a Toastmaster has definitely made me a better English teacher.
And a better script reader which is my second gig.
I love to write.
I’ve been reading and writing as long as I can remember.
My favorite toys, when I was a kid, were my books, a spiral notebook and a pencil.
A pencil, not a pen.
I’ve always preferred a pencil.
I was born and raised in Southern California.
We recently moved halfway across the country to Texas.
This move was not nearly as traumatic as I anticipated.
I have made lots of new friends in Texas.
I am keeping touch with my old friends through social media.
I plan on making lots of new friends through blogging.
Why am I starting this blog?
Because I’m tired of Facebook.
I’m tired of all of the ads.
I’m tired of all of the political wrangling.
I’m tired of the algorhythms that may or may not be connecting me with the people I want to be connected with.
I want to control my own platform.
I want to control my own intellectual property.
Although I use the term “intellectual” loosely.
Why do I write?
Because, to quote someone whose name I can’t recall, but I don’t want to be accused of plagiarism, “I write because I can’t not write.”
