Dear Alison’s Mind

Today Alison went for her annual toe tickle. And she was feeling pretty grumpy. In the waiting room she was acting as a handy generational bridge between a 6 year old with a verruca and an 80 year old who needed help cutting his nails. This is not her ideal way to spend an afternoon. She self-importantly thinks that she had at least a hundred more interesting things she could have been doing. She feels that if the pancreas would pull its weight, she wouldn’t have to attend endless check-ups on various bits of her body.

Her extremities were proclaimed fit and healthy. She thanked the foot man – who she always feel sorry for because the thought of touching other people’s manky feet for a living makes her feel a bit sick – and shuffled off. She harrumphed her way home, muttering miserably about how much she resents having to spend time on this rubbish.

Alison’s mind, this is where you need to step up to the mark. She’s always said the one thing you can control about your diabetes is your attitude to it. And here she is, self-indulgently whinging to herself about nothing much.

You watched smugly when she gave her pancreas and her body a stern talking to in the past. Now it is your turn to be taken in hand. Everything that came out of that foot session was positive. She’s had diabetes for nearly 29 years, nothing has turned green or dropped off yet, she can still feel her feet and they don’t hurt. That’s a great achievement to have come so far with everything still working. She should be celebrating with champagne and a week in the sun somewhere. Or on a more practical level, at least taking the time to acknowledge the good stuff.

So Alison’s mind, I have a simple message for you. Stop bloody whinging and get back to recognising the positives.

Lots of love

Alison’s Mind (motivational division)

Related posts:

1. Dear pancreas, I think you’re frightfully rude old chap
2. The annual toe tickle