Anniversary

March 26, 2014
 I should have wrote this a few weeks ago, because it's been a year and almost a month since I was diagnosed! I wanted to write an anniversary post for everyone, but life got in the way. Better late than never, right?

 I am always going to look forward to March 13, because it's another year I have lived with Diabetes. Let me tell you right now, this year was definitely not going to be the year I am most proud of. I will never repeat

A year ago. Eating my sugar and drinking
a TON of water!

the last year, because it was a constant struggle the last five months. I was very unhealthy, and I could feel it taking over every single part of my life. There are a lot of things that I am very proud of, and that I think greatly impacted my future. There were a lot of lessons that I learned that I will never regret learning. Do I wish there could have been an easier way to learn them? Of course I do! I just know that if it were an easier lesson I could have forgotten it just as easily as it was learned, or even worse, looked over and never learned.

 I will always think of March 13 as the day I got one of my greatest blessings. How wonderful is it that I have such a big motivator to stay in shape, eat healthy, and get into a daily routine. Learning about my disease has increased my interest in the body, and how it all works. Knowing that I have a disease based mostly around what I eat, or don't eat, it makes me want to learn all about nutrition and cooking. Not only has being diabetic improved my overall health, my happiness, and my motivation, but it has increased my craving for knowledge.

 In the big scheme of things, my diabetes has pushed me harder than I ever would have pushed myself into being a better person. Honestly, what more could I ask for? I excelled when I was first diagnosed. I was taught how to take care of myself, and I didn't skip a beat. I did exactly what I was supposed to do and my knowledge increased tremendously in the first couple of months. My health was accelerating rapidly, and I couldn't be more happy. I let myself take a break, and I struggled for months because of it. Now look where I am. Back at the gym, and in the kitchen. I'm getting in the best shape I've ever been in, and my eating habits are better than most people's. I am living the life that everyone can, and all of us should.

The Better, Healthier, Me

 I am so grateful that I was diagnosed with diabetes. Yes, it is very hard. A lot of the time I forget I am even diabetic. It becomes a happy to check your blood sugar before you eat and to take insulin. It becomes a habit to go to the gym. It becomes a habit to read food labels. It becomes a habit to count your carbohydrates. It all becomes a habit over time and gets so much easier. Yes, there are times when I would love to just stuff my face with whatever I wanted, but I know it isn't good for anyone,  not just me. Yes, I would like to just take off and go on an adventure without having to gather all of the things I need, and think about my blood sugar the whole time.

Yes, life would be a lot easier if I were not diabetic, but I don't think it'd be as worth it.