"There's A Tide In The Affairs Of Men..."

London with the housemates.

"There's a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads onto fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea we are now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our venutres." 

The words of Brutus in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. 

Translation?

For me, it basically means life is short, opportunities are rare, and therefore we must take what we can, when we can. Whether it be the opportunity to take part in something great, overcome something, learn something or just the opportunity to see the good, laugh a little, take in the enchantment of this thing we call life. Seize the day. Easier said than done, I know, but nonetheless something I've been trying to do since the start of my "get-back-on-track-plan". 

As a diabetic, I am well aware of the fact that life is short. On a daily basis, I have to give myself injections in order to stay alive; I have to deal with hypers and make sure I don't reach DKA, I have to deal with hypos and make sure that I bring my sugar levels back up to a safe level. These kinds of situations are now what I call "normal". Wake up, check blood, give breakfast dose of insulin, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast: it's just part of my daily routine. 

Since sorting out my blood sugar levels, I have noticed a huge improvement in my mood, something I have written about before. I am generally happier, I wake up feeling refreshed, I'm more productive; it's taken a lot of time and effort to get there, but I'm seeing the results and reaping the benefits which is making it all worth while. It's not been an easy journey, but one that, right now, I am succeeding in, and I'm determined for this to continue. 

I've spent far too long "hating" my diabetes. I often chose to ignore it rather than deal with it and generally it was just something that I didn't face up to. It will never be something I overcome; it's not something that will go away, but I have learnt how to manage it, and properly this time. I can see the good that has come of it and the opportunities I have had because of it.

So I'm going to carry on seizing these opportunities, when I can, and seeing what else I can gain from having type 1, whether it be new friendships, new knowledge or new experiences. If I'm going to have to live with it for the rest of my life, may as well take advantage of the chances that arise as a result of it.