I sat there and looked around and only saw one other 'older' person in the auditorium who appeared to be a fellow student. I came very close to dashing out of the room and calling it quits. Then a few things ran through my head.
- Members of this family don't quit!
- My son telling me he was proud of me
- My husband beaming with pride as I walked out the door this morning
But mostly, it was the thought that I have come this far down the path; if I backed out now, I would be letting myself down. I have done enough of that in my lifetime and it is time to quit quitting!
I started to hit a low point or a small crash, as it has become known around here. I quietly pulled my test kit and quickly checked my sugar. Low 70's, not cool. I popped a glucose tab, drank some water and waited for the sugar to hit. I had thought that I was pretty quiet about the whole thing; but during a break, I was approached by a young man who had been sitting near me.
He asked me if the needle hurt. I smiled and said no, it really doesn't. He looked at me for a second and then said that he had never really used his because he thought it would hurt and he didn't want to be 'branded' as sick.I looked at this young man, he was holding a sugar coated pastry and a bottle of Mountain Dew. I sighed and told him that testing was really easy and the first line of defense in keeping your levels in line. Diet was the second easiest thing he could do.
He asked me if I was really going to start school at my age. (It wasn't offensive, he looked genuinely interested.) I told him that I have been on a journey of sorts and wanted to study Dietetics so that I could work with people with Type II Diabetes.
He was quiet for a moment and then told me he was glad that he had run into me and that I had given him a lot to think about.
I went into the next session feeling much better about my decision.
Wow! That's cool. Hope you guys will be in a class together or that somehow your paths will cross on a somewhat regular basis. I see I'm a little behind.. looks like I have some yummie blogs to catch up on. Its nearing the end of the year which makes it almost impossible to not catch yourself 'reviewing' and 'assessing.' How exciting that you haven't even nearly finished up your first Dtour year yet. You'll be able to re-fortify with all the New Year inspiration, to come sliding into home plate in February, bases loaded. This might strike you odd, but as I 'review' and 'assess,' following YOUR journey has been a significant part of 2010 for me. I haven't much ACTED on the inspiration you've provided, but that doesn't mean it won't help me even more this year, looking at you and seeing what I might have accomplished. Thank you, Katie. don't let the empty sounded-ness fool ya, I've got blurry eyes writing it. xox ~a
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