Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

Language has been a recurring theme around here for some time, and it’s really interesting the way communication is intertwined throughout our lives. If I were to take a guess, I’d say that at least half the projects that didn’t work out or the friendships that faded out in my life were because I neglected to remember that what we say, or don’t say, every day makes a difference. Sometimes to us, often to others.

These days, patients are getting really good at fighting for the things that are important to them: affordable access to drugs, treatment that helps rather than judges, diabetes truths rather than diabetes myths. But… how much time do we spend sharing what we’ve learned? How much time do we spend thanking those who have helped us along the way?

Some of us are good at that. I’m certainly better at it than I used to be. And sometimes… we just forget. Or worse, we figure that since we’re the ones living with diabetes, when things work out for us, we’re just getting what we deserve and we don’t even need to consider the fact that someone else might have had to make a sacrifice to please us.

We can certainly get by with that attitude. But we’re not going to make a lot of long term friends in the process.

So, when my endocrinologist finds a sample or two for me to take home, I’m sure to thank her.

When the receptionist at my GP’s office finds a way to get me an appointment today because I’m sick today, I thank them.

When my diabetes friends take the time to ask how I’m doing, I respond in kind and try not to talk about myself too much. I’m still working on that one.

When people raise money for research and better care for People With Diabetes, I thank them.

When medical device companies overnight a replacement for a broken part, I am appreciative.

Most of all, I truly try to practice the art of paying it forward. For someone else’s sake, and for my own too.

These things don’t cost me anything. Occasionally, it might mean saying something nice about a person or company that I haven’t been thinking nice things about all the time. But the language of gratitude requires us to recognize each effort on our behalf without remembering the real or perceived slights we’ve encountered along the way.

It’s a learned practice. It’s something I have to remind myself to do all the time. But when I put the language of gratitude into practice, I find myself feeling better. And I can’t put a price on that.