On A Personal Note ...

This week I'm adjusting to having diabetes and what it means. I'm using a new glucose meter to check my blood sugar levels. I don't like it much yet. It requires a lot of precision on my part to get it just right and I'm still clumsy when I use it. I've wasted lancets and test strips just trying to get one reading and enough blood to draw to get a reading. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it is. I'm hoping by the end of this week, I'll have it down and figured out.

I'm not going to give a review on different meters, I'm really not experienced enough to form an opinion, that isn't the purpose of this post. I will say learning how to use this one definitely takes time. I was not prepared for that because the other meter I used for a week before getting this one was much easier. Probably less precise; it's good to get the best results.

I'm also writing down everything I eat, when I eat it, what I weigh, what my blood sugar level numbers are each day. Granted, I've just started doing this for a little over a week (since I got my first meter) but I think there's a good chance I will keep it going. I like knowing what might be causing the high numbers when I take a reading and I switch each week to a different time so I can see the differences. It's new to me, so I'm vigilant about it all. I recently talked to someone who has lived with diabetes for close to 30 years and they aren't as careful or don't seem to be as concerned as I am. I'm not sure that's something I should do: become complacent about it. I am going to try to continue to be careful and make sure I keep track of it all.

In other personal news, I'm losing a little weight. The medication I'm taking helps with that but I think walking 3-4 times a week, even as little as 5 minutes (most times it is longer, I average about 10-15 minutes), seems to make a difference as well. I love to walk. I take my camera and stop and take pictures of pretty flowers, goofy trees with faces or what look like mythical creatures (my artistic side loves to see things as art) and just enjoying the sun.

Sad faced tree with a wrinkled brow.

A goofy faced totem pole made naturally from cutting branches.

Mythical creature gator-lion-lizard.

Right now I'm having trouble finding the balance between when I'm "supposed" to eat and when I'm actually hungry. They don't always happen at the same time. According to the doctor, loss of appetite is possible with this medication (Metformin) but the nurse at the diabetes center I went to recently said I HAVE to eat 3 meals a day. I find 2 is good enough, thank you. And pushing to eat 3 meals is hard when you really don't want it. NO one is more surprised than I am that I don't want it!! Who have I become?!

Meanwhile, art keeps me happy and so do my family. Not necessarily in that order. I start to stress about the lack of things (mostly money and this debt still hanging over my head from the past and what I've got a fundraising campaign for ... I'm seriously so broke right now, as the saying goes: "I couldn't even pay attention") and I know staying in that stressful state keeps things from moving forward in a more plentiful way. I've had 30+ years of training with meditation and listening to inspirational audios to know that way of thinking (negative) is not productive at all. I learned depression too, is associated with diabetes. I have to work much harder to stay in a positive frame of mind. It's a whole new world.

What I would like to do is start to concentrate on the months ahead a little bit and work on mosaics to do a crafts show in August. I don't know yet how to gather the funds for it, but I know I have to do it. I actually want to do it. That is an unknown feeling for me. I never wanted or felt I needed to do craft shows. Now, with the lack of online sales and the shear volume of art for sale online, I think taking it to the streets is the way to go a few times a year. I seem to have everything in place except for the funds to reserve the space. The person running the crafts show told me I could bring money with me the day of the show. How awesome is that?! I have a few months to find a way to gather it up. A few online sales would be great.

And so, learning about life as a diabetic isn't all bad. It makes me aware of what I'm feeding myself, I'm watching portion control and sugar/carbs intake. There are days I just don't care to look and other days I won't touch anything unless I know exactly how much of what is in it. I think that makes me human.

Tomorrow's post will be the 3rd in the series of "how-to" instructions on making mosaic coasters. It's the last in the series for now. The next posts on Tuesday's will be sharing information on where to buy supplies, what kind of tools to use, and some of my all-time favorite mosaic artists.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics