Happy 31st Anniversary of being diagnosed with Diabetes - TRICK OR TREAT!

Top Pic: Me two months before my diagnoses
Bottom Pic: Me one year after my diagnoses with some of my siblings - still skinny (my head looks like a dashboard ornament and my hands look huge) and still a flirt.
Notice how I'm trying to sweet talk my sisters friend Moose instead of looking at the camera - I wanted to marry him!

Today is my 31st anniversary with diabetes and I’m celebrating -ensconcing myself in all that is good about my existence since my own personal "Diaversary/ "D-Day". I’m not going to talk about waiting for a cure, or the dia-bitch factor regarding being a diabetic. That’s for another post(s).
I’ve tried to write about my initial diagnoses for the past few days and it just wasn’t flowing the way I wanted it to. Maybe next week I’ll try writing about Halloween 1977, but for now I’m focusing on the celebration that is my life since the Halloween of “77”.

I’ve already written posts about why I refuse to hate my own diabetes and the gifts Diabetes has given me. Today I’m just going to add a few more gifts that I’m grateful for.

Diabetes has given me the gift of fear…. and the ability to be fearless. I use my fear as I way to stay healthy, I’m fearless because whenever the self doubt of diabetes creeps in my brain, I push it a side & reach for what I want. I wasn’t always that way – I used to fear the future so much that I couldn’t enjoy the present. That way of thinking caused nothing but paralyzing fear and self-doubt – neither of which was productive. Being fearless and moving past all the “what-ifs’ allows me to enjoy my life and appreciate it all – big and little.

I’ve written about this often, but diabetes has certainly developed my sick sense of humor. Laughing about all things diabetes has allowed me to be strong and has made others more comfortable in getting to know their own diabetes.

This gift of helping others through laughing and making fun of the “Big D”, has helped me more than I can even articulate at this moment.

Diabetes has given me the gift of ownership. The minute I started to really own my diabetes instead of fearing a life with it, diabetes ceased to own me. D and I continue to have a tug of war of power at times, but I’m the one who ends up winning. And I savor those victories, no mater how minuscule or monumental.

Diabetes has allowed me to weed out the fair weather friends in my life and focus on the ones who really matter. It’s given me appreciation of what friendship really is. Looking back in my life, my tried true friends always looked out for me in all aspects, including my diabetes, not because of my diabetes. I was and am so lucky to have friends who helped me take on my diabetes and deal with it head-on, instead of ignoring it or using it as an excuse not to be my friend.

The most recent and wonderful gift Diabetes has given me? Well…. that would be you.

Every citizen of dBlogville (the Diabetes O.C.) is amazing! It’s been almost a year since I’ve discovered your existence and began to be on the receiving end all of your gifts. You’ve given me the gifts of understanding, knowledge, commodity, commiseration, laughter, and tears.

There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t receive and appreciate these gifts from all of you – I thank God everyday that I’ve found you and hope that I can reciprocate all of those gifts back to you ten-fold.

To the parents of the D-O-C, you’ve showed me what my own parents went through and never shared with me. I look at them with a new sense of love and respect because each of you was brave enough to share your thoughts and fears in print. THANK-YOU.

To my Diabetic Compadres, “you get me” and all my d quirks without ever having to say a word, but I’m so glad that you do! I want to list you all individually, but I'm scared I'll leave someone out - and I deal with enough guilt!

I wish I could give everyone n dBlogville a big heart-felt hug, and promise that when we do meet -I will, whether you like it or not. Why, because I’m a hugger and I hug the one ones
I love.

Today I’m celebrating my 31 years with Cocoa Jones (not a porn star - well, maybe a porn star if porn came in the form of a chocolate baked good) but a damn fine maker of brownies that I found at my local organic food store a few weeks ago, and have been addicted ever since. I’ll bolus for the 28 grams of chocolately goodness and not give a crap about the calories or fat. Instead, I'll revel in the fact that the wonderfulness of chocolate is no longer off limits in my diabetes world.

Maybe later I’ll put on my witch costume and go trick or treating just for shits and giggles –

But whatever I do today, I will celebrate the fact that I am indeed doing it!