Deeper than Diabetes
Yesterday was a glorious day. The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, and I had finally found success with my new afternoon basal rate which has been a real work in progress. We’ve been without a patio at home up until Monday, while a much needed new one has been in the process of being built. Inbetween miserable weather and construction, I’ve sorely missed afternoon coffees in the fresh air and sunshine after work. So when yesterday’s OzDOC chat rolled around, I made myself a coffee, grabbed my Macbook and took a seat outside.
As I scrolled through the OzDOC feed on Twitter, it looked like it would be a quiet night. Some of our regular contributors thoughtfully popped in and out to make their apologies. I was fully prepared to take a raincheck on the chat for this week, rather than endure a slow moving chat with few participants.
But conversation continued to flow in a more casual format.
Our moderator, Kim, expressed that she was separated from her daughter on her birthday, and the #dlove flowed.
I mused that I had a damp cloth draped round my wickedly sunburnt arm, and I received some funny sunburn stories from others in return.
Bri from the UK jumped in to tell us that she was starting out on an insulin pump on Thursday, and all I wanted to do was offer her the encouragement I knew she would need as she faces a steep, but worthwhile learning curve.
I was dying to know whether Kim was up to date with Australian Survivor. She was, but she is rooting for Matt, the contestant I dislike the most! I then learned that Matt was an ambassador for a diabetes charity, followed up with a Tweet from the man himself!
Andy popped in with a snazzy new profile pic, and I tweeted hello to Melinda who I haven’t chatted with in a couple of weeks.
Ashley and Glen, both of whom were multi tasking last night, stuck around during much of the conversation.
Bec popped in briefly, and I reminded her of the two places in Melbourne she absolutely had to squeeze into her short trip.
It was just a simple relaxed vibe, that I think was much needed by the group as a whole.
OzDOC is the one diabetes support “group” that I identify with on the internet. Some people I only know through our interactions online. Others I have been fortunate enough to meet in real life. And there are a few who I have only recently promised coffees with should I ever visit their cities. Nevertheless, they truly do feel like friends. I feel a strong sense of camraderie and spirit during our chats on Twitter every Tuesday night.
And even though last night’s chat was not about diabetes, the great OzDOC spirit that I have come to know and love, continued to flow. Even though we are connected by diabetes, it’s nice to be reminded that our connections run deeper than just diabetes alone.
Watching the last of the afternoon light fade and feeling the wind begin to chill with the relaxed vibe of OzDOC yesterday was absolute bliss. As I went inside to a slow cooked beef casserole for dinner, I felt content.
