Growing Things



Lets wrap up the week by sharing a little more about ourselves, beyond the chronic illness we or our loved ones live with.  Share an interest, hobby, passion, something that is YOU.  If you want to explore how it relates to or helps with diabetes you can.   Or let it be a part of you that is completely separate from diabetes, because there is more to life than just diabetes!  (This topic is a suggestion from the 2016 #DBlogWeek survey.)  For more 'more than diabetes stories,' click here!

 

I like to collect plants.

 

Not fancy plants, and definitely not fussy plants which need any real attention.

 

I like plants with a little history, plants which remind me of people or places that are special to me.

 

Here are a few things which happen to be growing or blooming in my yard today:



The first rosebud of the year.
The bush was in full bloom in the front garden of the house when we moved in.
I love that we see the roses through the living room window.

Lily of the Valley transplanted from my childhood home's garden



The mint in the back is from plants which grew at the farm where my grandmother grew up,
divided and transplanted in several locations since then.

The rosemary in the foreground is a plant which lived over from last year- not as much a history story as a gardening win!



We went to a local public garden's plant sale the first year we lived in our house.
I purchased a small bleeding heart plant, divided from one on the garden's grounds.
It's now threatening to take over the corner of my yard.

These Japanese iris, also in the front garden, came from my husband's
childhood home.



A Break

The circumstances were not great. My daughter and husband ended up traveling without me over Christmas. A local relative needed me close by. They were gone for 3 days and nights during which I spent good quality time including playing many games of Scrabble with the aforementioned relative, caught up on my reading and binge watched HGTV.  It wasn't the worst Christmas I've ever had, nor was it the best.

What was unique about it was going 3 days and nights without diabetes.  This is a luxury my daughter and millions like her may never have.  As a  parent, I've never had it either until now.

The sleep was the highlight.  I can't remember the last time I slept through the night more than 1 night in a row.  Except maybe when I was so sick I couldn't haul myself out of bed anyway.  It's truly amazing what 3 nights of uninterrupted sleep can do for a person.  I felt rested when I opened my eyes.  I felt less scattered. I didn't yawn throughout the day.  I didn't even finish my usual allotment of coffee in the morning.

Perhaps it was a combination of the sleep and the lack of diabetes questions (o.k.- and maybe being home alone), but my concentration improved.  I read for hours without moving from the sofa.  I started and finished a few small projects without jumping between them or leaving them for another day.  I got up, made coffee, ate breakfast, checked the news and left the house without doing a single math problem.

I ate 10 meals without counting a single carbohydrate. I had lunch out without menu negotiations or french fry approximations. I ate a bagel without anyone looking at me with sad puppy dog eyes because she knows they're horrific for her blood sugar and she only indulges about twice a year.  I snacked without making two equal bowls of 12 carbs of crackers to go with the hummus.  I ate at 4 in the afternoon once, and 7:30 at night the next day.

I often wonder where I'd be if diabetes hadn't entered the picture.  This was just a small glimpse of the possibilities.  Evidence shows I'd be well rested.  I'd get more accomplished in a more orderly fashion.  I'd have time to read.  I wouldn't count my food.

I sure missed the kid who has the diabetes though.  I'd give up bagels forever for her.

For Me

This is where needed to be yesterday afternoon.  The 'to do' list was as endless as always but in a flash of wisdom I realized I needed to take a few minutes for myself.

It's been a long week. With my husband traveling, diabetes has been my responsibility alone. He generally takes late evening checks and every other overnight.  As a person who needs her sleep, I'm dragging. During daylight hours, I've been working through the paperwork for a Dexcom system, analyzing new trends in blood sugar numbers in child who's grown an inch in one month, and troubleshooting my fair share of random incidents such as this one.  

I could have done many things in the hour before school pick-up yesterday. I chose to take a walk.Views like the one above, the sound of ducks quacking, and the wind at my back were what I needed. The exercise sent me back energized despite my sleeplessness. 

I often forget to do things like this for myself, to fuel myself up for the journey. It's never the wrong choice though.  The to do list will still be there when I get back and I'll be better equipped to tackle it.