Feeling normal

So I was reading some posts on Facebook yesterday and i came across a status update from the wonderful Meri Shuhmacher. She had posted something along the lines of "You know you're a D-Mom when you are carrying your house phone in one hand and your cell phone in the other when you go out to get the mail. I had to giggle at this because how true that statement really is. I found myself smiling at all of the comments that followed...all of the other D-parents that said they did the same thing.
It got me thinking, sure we all know that we are out there...bolusing our kids, poking their fingers to check blood sugars, counting carbs, and jabbing them with needles day in and day out. We know we are not alone. We know that there are countless others doing the exact same things every single day. It's sad and yet at the same time, very comforting. After reading this post from Meri though, it made me realize that we also do so many other things the same. We carry our phones around with us all day long as we anticipate (and yet hope against hope that it doesn't occur!) a phone call from our kid's school or daycare to tell us of a problem blood sugar...a scary low...or a stubborn high. You can pretty much guarantee that when you are walking upstairs to your child's room in the middle of the night, that there is another D-parent somewhere in the world doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. When you find yourself strapping your phone (set to vibrate) on your body somewhere just so you can vaccuum and feel confident that you will feel it ring, you can find comfort in knowing that someone else somewhere in the world is probably doing the same thing too. When you find  yourself sticking your head out of the shower curtain in the bathroom just to listen a little closer and reassure yourself that that wasn't just the phone ringing....and then shaking your head and scolding yourself for being so paranoid when you see that it wasn't.....yep, you are not alone. When you are driving around town running errands and have your phone laying on your lap and the radio turned down slightly...just so you can be sure to hear that anticipated phone call, know that someone else is doing the same thing. When you have the number to the hospital diabetes clinic memorized, and yet you have to look through the contacts on your cell phone to find your neighbours phone number....you can pretty much guarantee that you have a child with diabetes living in your house. When you can glance at a food item on the grocery store shelf and instantly know the carb count.....and yet can not for the life of you remember if you did indeed put deodorant on this morning....the odds are good that you are a D-parent. When you find yourself cringing when your spouse mentions picking up a pizza on the way home for dinner....yep...D-parent.
There are so many things that we all do that are indirectly related to diabetes. It's not all about the bolusing and finger pokes. It's not the blood. It's not only the insulin ratios that bind us together. It's the in between moments. It's the little quirky things that we all do...that would make absolutely no sense to anyone else outside of this D-bubble....those are the things that bind us together....those are the things that connect us and make us realize that we are not alone. Those are the things that we can find comfort in in the middle of the night. Those are the things that can calm our worries and make us feel normal.
Thanks for your post, Meri.....it made me smile....and made me feel normal.