Spring Clean-Up

I spent the weekend working around the house and more specifically, the backyard deck.  After serving a twenty year cycle of Michigan weathering, the lovely deck had finally given way to something closer to mush than wood.  The dilemma was instant; replace or repair.

Due to the massive influx of financial needs while raising teenagers (oh dear friends, you can not save ENOUGH to help this issue), the answer the ONLY answer was to repair just enough to make it through another (hopeful) five - ten years. Which, if these people of mine do become doctors, will place us smack dab in the middle of PHds.  

With determination to save as much as we could, boards were removed and replaced.  Pieces that could be salvaged were cut and repaired.  Three coats of protective stain was carefully added and the results were indeed beautiful.  A little maintenance, some hard work and a whole lot of time was all the deck really needed.

Since the bulk of the project was mine, I had plenty of time to think back to the last time that we worked on the deck.  Our daughters were little.  I remembered how hard it was to balance the time needed to wash and clean the deck with checking blood sugars and ensuring that lows were far, far away.  I remembered how I could only do a little section before I felt the stress and worry of what was happening with their blood sugars. I remembered feeling a compulsion to have snacks on the ready as though I was preparing for a disaster relief effort.  It felt as though any attempt to do anything except manage T1D was insanely difficult.  I remembered crying and thinking that we should just move to a place where nothing else needed our attention because the T1D monster was such an overwhelming beast.

Yet, it happened.  We got through that point in our lives.  Decks were cleaned and stained while managing blood sugars and supervising little children.  Life was hard but it never stopped us from doing anything that we wanted or needed to do.  We dug deep and continued on, crying a little and complaining to each other and yet, reaching our goals.

Some of my closest friends that had walked the T1D journey before we arrived had explained this phenomenon to me.  They had shared that one day, it would be easier.  I never really knew if I could believe them. However, it is true.  With each age and stage of T1D, life does change and it does get easier.  If you are raising little ones with T1D, I can assure you that one day, the stress of repairing or replacing will possibly outweigh the stress over checking blood sugars.

In fact, you may even find yourself longing for a little one that ensures that you take a break and enjoy a snack of a little peanut-butter and jelly sandwich too.

xo