What is normal?

Next weekend I am very excited about a reunion of my t1 people, a support group that was started by the ACU social department, my freshmen year in college. We are celebrating November because it National Diabetes Awareness month! We are going to go bowling and meet some new families that live in and around Abilene. I am so excited to be in that kind of normal. When I say normal I mean that I get to be around other type 1 diabetics. When a person looks at a plate of food they see a plate of food, however when a type 1 diabetic sees a plate of food, they think about blood sugar what type of food it is, how many carbs, how much fat is in it and what it will do to you later. Most people do not think about changing sites and having something connected to you 24/7 or making sure you have fruit snacks or caprisun incase you go low. People do not think about why they feel shaky or sleepy. We understand why we are scared to go to sleep. These are things that Types 1 diabetic’s all have to think about. When we have a group of type 1 diabetics that are all together it’s different. We think about the same thing, we understand each other. The pains, fears, responsibility, being terrified, and so unsure while still having the courage and love to keep going and be that child, college student, or whatever person that type 1 diabetic is. We want to have that sense of normalcy and with those other t1 families I get to feel normal, no diabetes does not go away, but I am not alone I feel loved and understood. I do not have to count the carbs by myself, others remind me to do insulin, and check blood sugars. It is a different world that I get to live in for 2 minutes to a day. Those positive emotions that I am around broaden and build and bring a positive spiral of hope, love, and faith that show me I am not alone and I can be myself.