Living With Diabetes: An Ode To Love Being Alive

The Times Square ball dropped.
The Mummers did their thing.
Champagne corks were popped.
What will 2015 bring?
Some new diabetes tech?
A medical breakthrough?
A dreamy thought, I admit
But what can I do?
With the New Year upon us,
I just can’t sit and wait
For someone else to pull strings
That control my own fate.
On the first of January,
Many folks make a vow
To not put it off any longer,
But do better…starting NOW!
But 1/1’s already past
My resolutions: I count none.
Who’s got time to be serious?
New Year’s Eve should be fun!
But so what if I missed it?
We all need to remember
Self-improvement commitments
Can come as late as December!
So I implore you, don’t quit.
Leave your comfort zone.
Learn something new about diabetes
Find some new skills to hone.
Take up a new sport
Or routine morning jog.
Try new infusion sites,
Engage your peers with a blog.
The prospects are daunting,
You may think to decline.
But the rewards are immeasurable,
The benefits divine.
No effort’s too small
We’re not keeping score.
Just look towards the future
Forget what’s before.
A better A1c?
Tame post-breakfast highs?
Upload to CareLink.
Learn to Bolus for fries.
Set your sights high,
Learn ballet, and go dance it.
Or be more realistic,
And just change your lancet.
You can do something noble
(Still in rhyme, not in prose)
Save the life of a child
When you just Spare a Rose.
As for me, I resolve
To open my mind
And to try some new things.
Who knows what I’ll find?
Though I recall my D-treatment
Of three decades past,
I’m now less restricted
And my options are vast.
I’ll resist being timid
And I’ll try to live free.
With the tricks in my toolbox
Diabetes won’t control me.
This disease is complex,
Don’t try to solve it all now.
Just go step by step,
Bit by bit, vow by vow.
But please. Please resolve
To love being alive.
You deserve a great year!
Happy Twenty One-Five!
I really enjoyed your “poetic” effort, but much more I totally endorse your sentiments. I joined the diabetes club rather unexpectedly when I had to have my pancreas removed two years ago. Managing my diabetes is a chore, but continuing to live a “full life” is exhilarating.
Michael, I’m glad you enjoyed Scott’s poem as much as we did! Thank you for sharing your own personal experience with us. Keep up the positive attitude!