My “Normal” Friends

Now as I'm stopping to think about it, I don't have any "normal" friends -- they're all pretty strange. But I love them all.

It's a cliché question -- but what is "normal" anyways? In fact I've seriously considered eradicating the word "normal" from my vocabulary altogether. I spent a good portion of my life since I've been diagnosed worrying about whether I was "normal" or not, and it caused a lot of unneeded sadness and anger in my life.

There were even times when I've blamed certain things that have happened to me on my diabetes, but when it all comes down to it all those things that I blamed my diabetes on I really had control over the whole time.

I've accepted that I'm not "normal," but that has nothing to do with my diabetes. It really has to do with the fact that I'm just a little strange and I'm completely ok with that. I refuse to let my diabetes define me as a person nor do I allow it to stop me from achieving my goals.

I understand that sometimes it seems that diabetes is holding you back or it's getting in the way, and the truth is that sometimes it can cause a few bumps in the road but everyone has something that causes that.

Don't think that I'm saying that I still don't get frustrated either, because I do. I just try to think of some things that I may take frustrating as humorous and that helps a little bit. One of the greatest tidbits of advice I have ever received in regards to this is you don't let your diabetes control you, you control your diabetes.

That being said I still do need to say some things about my undiabetic friends. As I've said before I've been very fortunate to have friends that really make an enormous effort to learn about diabetes. They really do deserve a formal thank you because they have made things easier in times of need, but tis a blessing and a curse. For those of you who are puzzled by this let me explain to you the story of "The Boyfriend(s)"

Since I'm getting older I'm beginning to have actual relationships with guys. I'm not one to be ashamed of my diabetes and usually I'll let someone I'm dating know that I'm diabetic right away. What they choose to do with that information is their decision.

I don't force them to read up on anything but my current and most recent ex did just that. They have educated themselves and one of them is currently looking to endocrinology as a possible profession.

It can be frustrating at times, though, when they think that they know more than you about YOUR diabetes. I think this can apply to any person (especially strangers... strangers thinking that they know more then me probably gets on my nerves more then boyfriends thinking they know more then me.)

I think it's once they read up on the complications that the problem really occurs. It comes more from their fear of me dropping dead -- and I can understand that, I mean when I read up on the complications I get a little frightened too.