Coffee Talk, T1D Style
It’s a time of new beginnings — or so the calendar tells us. But we all know that with diabetes, the whole thing can feel like such a churn, with nothing fresh or energizing. Sure, updating a pump can make everything feel new. Heading to camp can reinvigorate your management. But generally it just feels like the same ol’, same ol’ grind.
Except…for the relationships we grow through this crazy diabetes community that we build. I have one friend in the T1D world who says that it’s the best community that you never wanted to be a part of. I couldn’t agree more. There’s a way that we parents of T1D kids understand something fundamental about each other’s lives that no one else gets in quite the same way. And because of that, we’re generous with each other in a unique and special way, too.
I was lucky enough to experience this feeling again recently: One of my former Sweet Talk coaching students reached out to me: She was visiting the west coast for the holidays and wanted to to see if we could grab a cup of coffee. What a delight to sit face to face and just chat. To share ourselves and our stories and to feel like we could both understand. Sure, there are differences between us — but diabetes helped us build a bridge to get to know each other. It felt so good that when I left that coffee I had a spring in my step that wasn’t from the caffeine.
For those of you who’ve been with me a while, you know that I always talk about going to diabetes camp, about joining a JDRF chapter, about making connections. It’s a drum beat for me. Because ultimately, I believe that we all need company in this journey that is our lives, and we parents of T1D kids deserve it more than most. It’s actually a pretty good new year’s resolution: to make new connections, to find people who understand our experiences and are open to hearing about our lived experience with T1D. Diabetes can be lonely. We owe it to ourselves — and to our children — to find the connections that will bring us some joy in that same ol’, same ol’.
Another kind of connection? The one to ourselves.
We all know that diabetes is the extra full-time job that we didn’t apply for. How to create some balance for ourselves so we can be our best selves — and show up to take good care of our kids? A good first step is to join me for my Caring for the Caregiver workshop. There, I’ll teach you some tools to shift your negative thinking about diabetes, as well as strategies for some guilt-free personal time.