The basics

Growing up, I was always the kid who liked arts and crafts...drawing, painting, making things....I loved it all. It was easy and freeing and I loved being able to use my hands to create something that evoked an emotion or feeling. However, I wasn't always a fan of being told I HAD to draw something or make something specific. Maybe it's my stubbornness...or my rebelliousness...or my need to be the one to decide what I wanted.

 When I got to high school, I took a creative writing class as one of my electives and fell in love with writing. I was never a fan of having assigned writing topics or being told that I HAD to write about a specific thing. In my mind, I always thought....if it's supposed to be creative writing...how can I flex my creative muscles while being told what I had to write about?

Now as an adult, I can appreciate the assignments. I can appreciate the basics and the guidelines that were put in place. I can understand that nearly everything in life that's worth something, takes time. It takes patience. It takes a moment of organizing your thoughts and being able to rely on the basics. 

I've come to realize that diabetes is sort of like that. When Emma was diagnosed, I knew nothing about the disease other than the ignorant belief that it would be a matter of never giving my kid sugar again and only feeding her fruits and veggies and healthy foods. That day I learned just how wrong I was. I learned the basics. I learned how to inject her with a pen needle. I learned how to check her blood sugar. I learned what was a safe blood sugar range for her. I learned how to fix a low and a high. I learned how to count carbs and how to keep her alive.

These basics have carried me through the last almost six years. They are common knowledge to me now and I don't really even have to think about it anymore...I just do it...it's second nature. 

The little intricacies that I've discovered along the way have been shocking to my naive mind....and yet, as time keeps on ticking, they too have become second nature. 

I recently met a newly diagnosed family. I found myself staring into the Moms eyes...seeing the ghost of my former self reflected back at me. I heard my own voice telling her that we've been at this for almost six years...and if there's anything I can do to help, just say the word...it will be ok...she will be fine...you can do this....all of the phrases that we tend to throw around in moments like that. I saw the Dad holding his 1 yr old little girl in his arms...smiling...staying close to the Mom. I saw them...really truly saw them. I saw the path they are about to embark on and I recognized every rut and obstacle...every clearing in the mist...every step...I saw it...because I started out on that same path myself.

It's scary and overwhelming and takes an enormous amount of courage to begin. Rely on the basics. Hold them close to your heart because they will save your sanity. The basics are what help you create something breathtaking and beautiful. The basics are what help you savour the moments that will change your life. The basics are what will help you have some control over deciding what YOU want to create...what YOU want to draw in your life...what YOU want to paint across the skies. 

The basics. Always respect and appreciate the basics.