We’re right in the middle of Diabetes Blog Week! Myself and many others are posting for 7 (seven!) straight days. This is day three’s post. Haven’t heard of Diabetes Blog Week? Get the lowdown by clicking on the banner above. Now, on to today’s subject:
Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere…. your or your loved one’s diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share. (Thanks to Jasmine of Silver-Lined for this topic suggestion.)
My most memorable diabetes day? I’m not sure if I’m an optimist, really. But I know that I don’t like to dwell on the bad things. So here’s a look at one of my greatest days, with diabetes right in the middle of it. In a good way.
It was just a few months ago. I celebrated my 15 year anniversary at the company where I work. Whenever someone hits a milestone anniversary there, the department gets together and does a thank you, gives a plaque, and then you go back to work.
After more than a few years of ups and downs (mostly downs) between my job and my diabetes, in the last couple years, things had seemed to thaw a bit in the relationship. I’m glad they’ve changed. I’d like to think that I’m a bit less sensitive these days too, and that helps.
Still, I felt a little… nervous about reaching this milestone at work. Kind of like some old demons were left that I couldn’t get rid of. So I was left thinking: how do I take this thing that’s a little uncomfortable, and turn it into something that feels good? I thought about it for some time.
Eventually, I decided on an idea centered around Blue Fridays. Since my anniversary was on a Sunday, I asked everyone to wear blue on the Friday before. I also asked them to make a donation to the Diabetes Community Advocacy Foundation. DCAF is the organization behind the Diabetes Social Media Advocacy website, the DSMA Live and DSMA en Vivo podcasts, and the weekly #DSMA Twitter chat. And Blue Fridays! I talked to my bosses, and they were great about it. I sent an e-mail to my colleagues in Baltimore, New York, and Connecticut, and marked it on my calendar.
And on a cold Friday in February, nearly 20 of my colleagues showed up in three locations wearing blue. They contributed something like 300 dollars to DCAF (sorry, I forgot the final number). I was grateful, I was overwhelmed, and I was thrilled that I was finally able to bring my diabetes to work in a positive way.
How was I able to pull this off? Mostly because of reading others in the Diabetes Online Community and what they were doing. There are so many out there who were, and are, doing such amazing things. Such great things, in fact, that they made me want to do something too.
I know, I’m blowing my own horn here. I’m not really trying to do that. Instead, I’m trying to show that things don’t always have to be uncomfortable and contentious. Sometimes, even if we’re a little afraid to step forward (and I was, at first), when we do despite our fears, good things can happen anyway. It was a feel good day.
