Todays topic for Diabetes Blog Week is all about getting the skeletons out of the closet. What can we let go of in order to fly?

I’l never forget my first trip to Disney world.  I couldn’t wait to see Mickey and Minnie and the enchanted castle. But my big  8 year old dream was to see the dolls dancing in costumes to the lilting tune of it’s a small world after all.  I wasn’t that keen to go in the spinning teacups, they made me dizzy, but I liked the idea of the tomorrow-land ride… until I saw people stepping onto the ride and then magically being reduced to miniature people. Being 8 and quite impressionable I had no idea that what I was seeing was a model, not the ride itself.

I began to scream, stamp my feet and declare that there was NO WAY I was going on that ride. I clambered out of my seat leaving the rest of the family to go ahead without me. I was petrified! What would become of my family? Would they survive the shrinking procedure? Would they come out the same as they went in?

Luckily they greeted me with smiles on the other end, but I’ll never forget the feeling of helplessness and despair.

Thinking about my 8 year old self reminds me of how I feel about things I don’t understand and can’t control. Yep I’m a control freak.

Now along comes Diabetes.

Something A: I can’t understand

And B: I can’t control.

Being an adult I can’t kick, scream, cry and jump off the ride. Instead I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I’m not special, that just like everyone else things happen, the body is problematic.  And the only thing I can do is get out of my own way.

To sum it up; let my hair down, go with the flow, get a hold of my control freak and trust the process, trust that there’s a world full of people just like me who are dealing each and everyday with the ups and downs. Trust that I have what it takes to go the distance.

And just like my parents appeared whole and happy at the end of the ride so will I!

with great respect…. Rachel