Cheese!

I underwent a procedure a couple weeks ago for periodontal disease.  Dr. P assured me there was nothing I could have done differently to prevent myself from developing it, that having had undiagnosed diabetes was the likely culprit.  Yet, it was disappointing to be diagnosed with a second chronic illness - and just a few days after M and I returned from our honeymoon.  It would mean another set of quarterly appointments and hypervigilance about oral hygiene.  But, after a week on a soft food diet with black sutures between my teeth, my joy at being able to savor a vegetarian turkey wrap and to be rid of those unattractive black threads was such that my gratitude far surpassed any lingering concerns about managing this new disease.

I could now smile without looking like I got into an altercation with a spinach salad.  And smile I did.  I also began to recognize that I was the lucky one in all of this:  I still have my smile.  I still have my oral health.  The challenges associated with the procedure were only temporary.  I can still thrive.  And I can still love.  Which, really, is what this life is all about.  Nothing had stopped me from living the life I've imagined.

I suppose I could say the very same for my diabetes.  And for that I am truly grateful.