Feeling Friday | Rainy Day, Tacos, & Diabetes Got Me Down

Well hello there! It’s Friday!!! Today was kind of a “feels” day, but more about that later. It rained last night and everything today was wet and clean... Especially the air, so cool and clear! It’s always nice to get a breath of literal fresh air, it certainly makes the day so much better!

The work day went well, and everything went smooth and I got off at an earlyish time. Things took a turn though shortly before I was finished when I got a text from an old friend. Regrettably, he was informing me that they took his little boy to the children’s hospital because at a checkup earlier today they checked his blood sugar and it was “off the charts”.

This sent a tsunami of emotion over me, because I went through the same thing almost seven years ago, except I was the one in the hospital. I cried the whole way home, because it was just another example of how unfair life can be. I was fortunate enough to contract type 1 diabetes as an adult, but going through that as a toddler, and for his parents to have to learn, adjust, and help manage that all overnight is going to be a huge undertaking.

To be so young and have the rug pulled out from under you like that is upsetting. Plus, since he’s a little guy, he’s going to have a lot of challenges growing up because a young growing body isn’t as predictable as an adult one, and I’ve read a lot that teenage hormones can really throw you under the bus if you have type one.

It’s also kind of a bummer because I want to be there to support them but the children’s hospital is out of town and they don’t need people bombarding them, I’m sure they’re incredibly emotionally drained right now. I’ve never met another type one in person (that I know of), and now I will know one and he has to be this innocent little child 😭.

But I can’t be crying and letting my emotions get the best of me, especially near him. I hope I can be a role model and example for him to help him deal with this stupid disease. And I hope I can be there for his parents when they’re not sure what to do in helping to manage his disease or if they have any questions... I may not be the most qualified “expert”, but I’ve been living with this for almost seven years now. While I’ve learned a lot, there’s always something more to learn, yet the most important thing I think is that diabetes is a very personal disease, you can’t treat it exactly as “one size fits all”. I think that is also a major factor when it comes to people’s misconceptions about the disease when they think that it can be treated in a “one size fits all” manner.

Anyways, after work I went to Barnes & Noble to look for books that might help them out on this new journey with their son. I didn’t really find anything I was looking for, and honestly after a while of browsing I realized they would be better off just using the internet to educate themselves and find safe foods to eat that are suitable for his kid palate.

I did find this “tortilla based diet” Taco Cleanse book. The very idea of it gave me a chuckle, and I honestly can’t take the book seriously and am still not sure if it’s a joke or not. I’m sticking to the idea that it’s a satirical work for my own sanity.

I also spotted this teeny tiny mini karaoke microphone that gave me a laugh as well. The thing was so small, it could be mistaken as an earbud, especially since it plugs in to a headphone jack.

I also made some more meat tacos tonight. Delicious as usual! I also added grated garlic to them again this time, it’s definitely a necessary ingredient. I think next time I might add some “taco seasoning” spices to it to really kick it up a notch.