Twenty-one Million People...Plus?

Last weekend, I set up a table at the local Farmers' Market. There were booths with vegetables and plants, of course. And booths with crafts of all kinds and tasty morsels to be eaten or taken home. And, in the middle of it all, I stood behind a table with my stack of books and a big sign to draw attention. It worked. I was pretty much busy from 8 a.m. to noon and I dragged home tired, exhausted from the heat, and with a head full of thoughts.

I sold one paperback and gave out a bunch of flyers so that folks could go home to download the Kindle edition of Your Life Isn't Over ~ It May Have Just Begun! for free. But what really wore me out was the conversations. There were only a couple of people who told me they've been diagnosed "pre-diabetic." And there was one, I think, who said she was managing her disease. But the bulk of those I spoke with were folks who stopped to talk about their loved ones who have diabetes and are making no attempt to control it.

To Be Or Not To Be...?

On page 32 of my new book on managing diabetes, I tell my favorite anecdote about the things I've learned along the way.

It was fourteen months ago. I had been diagnosed as diabetic for about six years already and had been doing a fine job of managing my disease until sometime the year before, when my best efforts and the advice of my primary physician fell flat and I needed new input. I had finally gotten an appointment with the nearest endocrinologist and it took him less than ten minutes to determine that I needed to be on insulin.

Not only was I shocked and horrified by the news, which I had feared from the moment I was first diagnosed. But additionally, I thought it meant that I was dying.

Greetings and Good Wishes!

Seven and a half years ago, I was told out of the blue that I have diabetes. I thought it meant I was going to die any minute. And needless to say, that's not a very happy state of mind to be walking around with. Ultimately, of course, I didn't -- die, that is. At least I haven't yet. And in the meantime, I've learned a few things about diabetes, life, and myself.

The result is a book I just published and wished had existed when I needed it myself. If you're curious, check it out on Amazon.com.  It's already available in paperback and Kindle editions and will be available shortly in an audio edition, as well.

Besides the book, I've decided to start writing this blog, too.  Originally, I only intended to write the book, but these things have a way of taking on a life of their own. And after the book was finished, I kept thinking of things I really ought to have included. Ha!

So I'm stuck, I guess, until I don't have anything left to say (which as my friends will tell you, won't come any time soon). Welcome to my world. And just to prove how serious I am about this, I'll tack on a little commercial. Here it comes!