Monday, August 24, 2009

Understand Me



I really have this outlook now that I never had before. I have this dream to meet everyone in the world. Although that's clearly impossible I have no doubt in my mind that a lot of people will cross my path in my lifetime. I look at everyone as a story. Just think how many stories you have to tell, now think of how many people there are out there with completely different life lessons, stories, experiences and memories. I don't like turning down going somewhere because I think of that as missing out on not only opportunities but free knowledge. I love hearing about people's lives and what they have overcome.

Last night at Clinton's we had a great night with company. I knew that like any other day my diabetes would be talked about at some point in time. But like I always say, I absolutely do not mind talking about it. I think that it's a great feeling to explain what I've been up too lately and what I plan to do in my future. I talked to one lady in particular who has Fibromyalgia, which is muscle and connective tissue pain and it's a medically unexplained syndrome. It was really nice to talk to someone who knows about challenges and can relate to you about new found strength and courage. She really encouraged me to keep up the great work.

One thing that she said to me was that it's really hard for people to understand people with disease unless they have one themselves. I really agreed with this statement because I do find a lot of people questioning my passion for diabetes and scratch their head at the fact that I am so excited about various parts of my life. I know that there are a bunch of people in my life that really do believe in me and understand but I know that there are also a bunch that have no idea. It's hard when people don't understand you or don't take the time to understand you but that's why we have a variety of friends and family in our life.

I think the best part of the night was the hug she gave me at the end. It wasn't a quick, nice to meet you hug, it was a hug worth a thousand words. I hug that meant, "I understand." She whispered in my ear, "Keep strong." I would have never known the bond between two people with illnesses could be so strong. We don't think of these things in our lives, we forget about the thousands of people out there that fight to keep alive, stay strong and positive. We need to stop and think.

I don't expect people to understand me. I can't let myself worry if someone isn't willing to take the time to hear me out but I can try my hardest to help people understand that this life we live may seem busy but there is always time to hear someone's story. You may just learn something.


Kayla


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