Spilled Strips

So I spilled a brand new bottle of test strips all over the floor this morning. I was in Emma's classroom before school started because she was running low on strips in her kit and I had brought her a new bottle to replenish them for her. Maybe it's because I had only had one cup of coffee at that point...or maybe it's because I am not a morning person...or maybe it's because I was distracted by the fact that Emma's teacher had the Rolling Stones cranked on the classroom computer as he prepared for his day? Either way, there they were...scattered all across the floor in front of me like a mini version of that stupid game "pick up stix."

My first thought was of course oh crap....I hope the floor is clean enough so the strips aren't ruined now. My second thought was.....laughter? Yes, I burst into giggles as I knelt down to pick them all up. Emma was looking at me like I had lost my marbles. The teacher looked at me like I had just whispered some secret joke to Emma and he had missed out on the punch line. I knelt there laughing like an idiot because......well, because.....it was a smack in the face reminder that shit happens. Be it miscalculating a bolus or guessing the carbs on a meal and finding out two hours later that you were WAY off....or something so ridiculous as spilling a brand new bottle of test strips all over the floor. I was laughing because I realized just how much I rely on those tiny little white and gray plastic strips every single day. Emma and I use them so often that I don't even think about it anymore. It's just something that's always there....a part of the process....the first thing I grab when I want to know what her blood sugar is. Those tiny little strips of plastic make my day so much easier and I barely give them a second thought anymore.

I gathered them all up between snickers and tried to get myself together again and somewhat resemble a sane person and competent parent once more. I walked out of the classroom with a smile on my face and a bit more respect for those little strips that I rely on so much.