Monday, April 2, 2012

Quotation Inspiration (#HAWMC)

Today's WEGO prompt: Find a quote that inspires you (either positively or negatively) and free write about it for 15 minutes. 

No particular quote was coming to mind, so I searched the internet. I found a website called Inspirational Quotes, which lead me to the following quote:
Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.  
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Setting timer... now...

There are so many areas of my life that I find littered with doubts and fears. Sometimes it can be almost paralyzing. Since this blog's focus is diabetes, I'm going to first address that area of my life. If time allows, I will then consider exploring other areas as well (though I might wind up on a tangent in that direction anyway..).

My biggest fear with diabetes circles around the possible complications and how they would affect my family. Loss of limb, loss of sight, loss of life. They're all very, very real and all very, very scary. As I've mentioned in the past, my grandfather lost both of his legs to diabetes. This possibility scares me! My mother also has Type 2 diabetes, and I'm scared for her. I'm scared that she may also develop complications as a result of diabetes. Thankfully she leads a pretty active lifestyle, though like most women puts the health concerns of those she loves above her own. She's a very loving person, but sometimes I'm afraid for her.

My doubts about diabetes come from two sides. Sometimes I doubt I actually have diabetes. I don't take medication (orally or injections) nor do I feel sick. Afterall, if you have a chronic condition, shouldn't you feel like you do? I also have doubts about my own diabetes management. Am I doing this right? Could I be doing this better?

Those fears and doubts sometimes far too often prevent me from moving forward. The above quote reminds me to "spend yourself on the work before you." The work I have before me is diabetes advocacy. If I'm focused on my doubts and fears, how can I properly advocate? How can I focus on helping others manage their diabetes, educate society, and fight for a cure if I'm all wrapped up in my little self-pity party?

Look toward the prize. Instead of focusing on what life would be like with the worst-case scenario, let me focus on what life could be like if I focus on my calling. What would it be like if everyone knew just a little more about diabetes? What would life be like if I gave encouragement to just one PWD (person with diabetes)? What would life be like if we had a cure?

My timer just went off, so I'll have to think about posting more about this quote another time. I'm looking forward to what the others have to say on this "Quotation Inspiration" topic.

2 comments:

  1. Well said! It can be so easy to get caught up in "stuff" when it is better just to focus. Kudos!

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  2. Hey. This 1st statement has nothing to do with the #HAWMC prompt- I see you're a fellow swaggernaut. :)

    Anyhow- I think we all have our own doubts and fears regarding our conditions. I worry about relapsing, about stroke, about depression, about how to give encouragement while at the same time appearing 100% strong.

    http://ncrainbowgrrl.tumblr.com/
    I wonder if these fears in some way keep us attached to the health activist community, even when we feel "good." we know during times of remission, or full relief that it may just be temporary.

    I got too far ahead of myself during one break from debilitating Migraine, and didn't feel a connection to the community until a med stopped working..., and realized that there were others who had gone through the same thing.

    Just my $.02

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