Author: Shawn

I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!

Goodbye, Sweet Car…🎶

Well, After multiple attempts, dozens of viewing and feeling as though I’m sitting through a security interview with every interested party, I finally sold my car. That’s right, my fable “bachelor mobile,” my 6-speed manual transmission 2-door sports coupe has flew, well… the coupe!

I made contact with an interested buyer who wanted to purchase the car for his teenage son. He lived about four hours away from the city I’m in, but we compromised and met in the middle. It gave me the opportunity to take the car on the open road one last time, all the way up to Saskatoon. We negotiated our way through a test drive and discussed price, followed by switching the vehicle registration.

It was a bitter-sweet morning, as selling the vehicle reduced my total debt by a reasonable amount. But at the same time, that car was as close to a mid-life crisis as I could afford. It was a fun, whiny little vehicle to drive around in, and I’ll miss the “race car feel” it provided.

I spent the rest of the morning wandering a small area of Saskatoon until my wife made her way to the city and picked me up. I felt like a hobo sleeping on a park bench. Overtime I stopped somewhere, i was shuffled along for “not being a paying customer” or not wearing a face mask. Some precautions are ideal, but it would be nice if major commercial areas could get on the same page and show some consistency.

Selling the “unnecessary” second vehicle is the first step in the many that will get my train of life back on its track. Karma can only tip towards a negative direction for so long until some good fortune starts to trickle back into my path. This goes to show that despite all the frustration and difficulties, a little patience can go a long way. ☯

The Magic Mistakes

Fear of failure is a very real thing. Most people have it, whether they realize it or not. If you think carefully on your past, you’ll likely find one and/or many instances when you were afraid you wouldn’t succeed at something. Maybe it was a potential job opportunity or an important exam at school. Whatever. At some point, you would have been worried about the prospect of making a critical mistake or failing at something.

This phenomenon is very prominent in martial arts circles, especially given the strict discipline and structured requirements that come with traditional martial arts. I even remember myself, three decades ago, standing at the back of the class trying to move through my techniques without error and trying to avoid Sensei’s gaze. It didn’t matter if I was screwing it up, I was just afraid of doing it wrong. This effect wore off as the years melted away and I increased in skill.

People are afraid of making mistakes. For some folks, it’s about pride. Some people are too proud to admit that they can make a mistake. Others are afraid they may cause disappointment in others, parents, instructors or otherwise. Some are afraid of the windfall that comes from failure and facing the potential consequences. For myself, I was mostly afraid of people seeing me do it improperly.

Whether you’re a newcomer to martial arts or even if you’re experienced, or maybe you have some other endeavours that you’re tempted to try out, I’ll let you in on a little secret: mistakes are an important part of the lesson. The only way you’ll learn is by making mistakes and having them corrected. We all start from the same place; the beginning. And like anything else in life, you need to make the mistakes in order to learn the skills.

It’s like learning to ride a bike. You may fall off a couple of times, you may even get skinned knees. But the important thing is to climb back on and keep peddling. The same can be said of any skill, martial arts or otherwise you may be trying to learn. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Don’t be afraid of being corrected or asking for help. It’s the only way you’ll learn. And grow. ☯

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Human beings learn to be dishonest at a young age. It isn’t something that happens automatically. Normally, one needs to be exposed to certain conditions and factors in order for it to become a common practice. For example, children may begin to lie and be dishonest when they feel that it will keep them out of trouble. As we get older, our motivation for dishonesty includes a myriad of reasons including, but not limited to sparing someone’s feelings, avoiding negative consequences or gaining personal advantage.

But if we stick to the younger age group, the majority of the time kids will lie to get out of trouble or because it will get them what they want. Something akin to drawing on the walls then saying they didn’t do it, even if you catch them with the marker in their hands. My son Nathan does this a lot, for a number of different things. He usually isn’t trying to be intentionally deceitful; he’s just trying to keep out of trouble. This has caused a bit of a phenomenon where I occasionally have difficulty believing things he tells me.

Nathan is a big fan of ginger ale. He likes it almost as much as he likes those little bottles of water flavouring. But I usually try to limit his consumption of soda, since it isn’t the best thing for a five-year old to drink. In fact, on some of the rare occasions when he gets an upset stomach or falls ill, I offer him a small glass of ginger ale as a means of settling his stomach. He’s caught on to this trend and will often feign an upset stomach in order to have me give him a glass. Sneaky brat…

About a week ago, we were midway through our morning when Nathan approached his mother and told her that his stomach was bothering him and he had thrown up. I can’t remember what I was busy with, but when I came back, my wife updated me on Nathan’s complaint and he confirmed it when he came around the corner. He followed it up by saying he needed ginger ale. Nice try, mini-me! Not on my watch!

I explained to him that the ginger ale was to be for when he was “actually” sick and not because he had a craving for it. He tried selling the fact that he had apparently thrown up and flushed it. Oh, really? That’s a handy coincidence. I shooed him away, as I assumed that this was another one of his attempts at getting something he wanted through dishonesty. He didn’t really argue or contest it and went off on his merry way.

Towards the end of the day, I had spent some time on the backyard and was ready for a hot shower and for my evening to wind down. Nathan was upstairs and had even mentioned a few hours prior that his stomach felt better and he wasn’t sick anymore. I was somewhat impressed by his commitment to the bit. He’s usually pretty good at letting things go when they don’t work in his favour.

I went to the downstairs bathroom and saw something that reminded me of an 80’s horror movie… Dried, crusted vomit with just a hint of red (from his stupid water flavouring) was all over the bathroom door, the toilet seat, the floor, my shower mat and most of the corner of carpet just outside the bathroom door. To add insult to injury, there was about a half dozen washcloths in the laundry hamper after he’d attempted to wipe it up himself. Fuck my life…

I spent the next hour and a half cleaning upchuck off multiple surfaces, made all the worse by the fact that it had dried on. If I had just taken Nathan at his word and checked on his story, it probably would have cleaned up easier. I would have still been pissed at the mess, but at least it would have been easier. It reminded me of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. The only difference is that in Nathan’s case, one never knows if he’s just trying to get his way or if something genuinely happened. Needless to say, I’ll happily accept him crying wolf and check on his story from now on. ☯

I Gotta HAND It To You…🥋

The martial arts style I’ve trained in the most is karate. This is the one I’ve studied all my life, and its lessons have carried me far in life. Even to this day, I train consistently and have often joined my local karate schools so that I can enjoy the training dynamic that one can only find by working out within a dojo. But Karate Do (or Karate, as it’s known in the western world) translates as “way of the empty hand” because the art primarily uses empty-hand techniques. This means that a significant amount of conditioning needs to go into the hands.

When people work out, they tend to focus on the major muscle groups that show the best results, like biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders. There’s been a running joke for decades about how people tend to skip leg days, and with good reason. People like to focus on what shows, which is why many professional weightlifters look like they have chicken legs. All of this is a pretty broad generalization, but the truth of the matter is that one of the most overlooked aspects of working out happens to be grip strength.

Grip strength is exceptionally important in all martial arts, regardless of style. You can have ripped arms and legs but if you have no strength in your grip, your fighting skills will be greatly lacking. Think about it; if you study Judo or other grappling styles, you need your grip to, well… grapple! Having the grip strength to grab on to your opponent’s gi, clothing, flesh, whatever, in order to flip and/or throw them is critical. In normal striking arts, grip strength is critical for the proper execution of pressure points and grabbing/holding your opponent in order to execute techniques. Grip strength is even important for weapons styles, since it’s kind of important to have enough grip strength to hold your baton, staff or sword.

There are plenty of ways to increase your grip strength, including grip strengtheners you can buy at your local retail or fitness location, to rubber expander rings that you can squeeze and stretch. I used to keep one of the former at my desk at work and flex whichever hand was free as I’d work. Even those so-called “stress balls” can be handy, although the amount of resistance they provide is pretty limited.

Okinawan Gripping Jar, known as Nigiri Game

You can also use a more traditional training tool called Okinawan Gripping Jars. This involves clay jars that have a thick lip at the opening. The jar could be filled with water or sand and gripped at the lip and carried in order to strengthen the hands. Beginners would usually start by carrying them while empty and work their way up from there. If you happen NOT to live in Okinawa and have no skill with a potter’s wheel or a kiln, you can make your own “do it yourself” gripping jars by taking large, glass mason jars and filling them with stones or water. Once the lid is properly secured, the jar is narrow enough to grip at the top.

Hand strength in general is an important aspect of martial arts, and there are many ways to increase that strength. Knuckle push-ups are one of my favourite, as they toughen up the knuckles and strengthen the wrists. Installing a makiwara board in your backyard is also ideal, since it allows you to work on wrist strength and finger strength by working your knife hands, finger thrusts and punches.

Speaking of finger strength, did you know that your fingers are part of your hands? And you should strengthen THOSE as well? No? Well, step right on over for some education. There is supplemental strength training for the hands in the martial arts, known as jari bako. This involves filling a bowl or a bucket with sand, gravel or small stones. The exercise involves thrusting one’s fingers into the bowl or bucket, which results in the strengthening of the fingers and fingertips.

The receptacle would occasionally be filled with hot water as well, especially if you were a naughty student who acted out in class and required some additional motivation to behave. Not that I’m speaking from experience, of course. But the science behind this technique is that the trauma caused to the musculature causes an increase in finger strength, much like any other physical exercise.

As usual, extra care and starting slowly is required when working the hands and fingers as they contain small bones that can be easily injured. This is one of those times when I tend to disagree with the Okinawan masters of old, in that it isn’t necessary to traumatize and disfigure your knuckles or hands in order to increase your striking and grip strength.

My two foreknuckles on both hands are slightly increased in size but aren’t disfigured. That should be the extent of the damage. Anything more is unnecessary and may cause long term problems without necessarily increasing strength. If in doubt, seek instruction from someone experienced teacher or instructor who’s been there and done that! ☯

Time Is Money, Even When No Time Is Used…

I certainly don’t want you guys reading through my posts and thinking that I spend my days being angry all the time. I’ve noticed that sometimes I tend to go off on a rant and I’m certain that from an outside perspective, it seems as though I complain and harp on things almost as much as I encourage others not to do those very things. I’m no Bruce Banner, but sometimes specific interactions illicit an angry response whether I like it or not. I had one such interaction yesterday, which was precipitated by an appointment I had made for November.

In the interest of avoiding certain liabilities, I won’t name the business or even the nature of the services the business provides. But none of you are dumb and will likely figure it out. Suffice it to say that this is a business where one needs to book an appointment in advance and apparently requires a cash deposit. Given that my birthday is in about a week and half, I thought I would avail myself of this service and do something for myself.

I researched the local businesses that provided this service and decided to start with a location that was not far from my home. In fact, it was only a five-minute drive straight south from the main drag near my house, so convenience was a bit of a factor. I enquired about the service I required and the gentleman in question (and I use the term lightly) indicated that he was booking well into months from now, and the earliest he could fit me in would be early November, thanks to a cancellation. When asked if he had anything sooner, he indicated that he did not as they were EXTREMELY busy and had bookings coming out their posteriors! Fair enough.

I stated I would take the November appointment and simply cancel if anything changed. The guy explained he needed an eighty-dollar deposit, which would be applied to the one hundred and forty dollars and hour required when I attended my appointment. I specifically inquired what my timeline would be to be able to cancel the appointment, to which he replied as long as I gave him a couple of days to fill the appointment slot, it would be fine. I used the ATM he had inside the shop, as this was a “cash only” business, and withdrew eighty dollars at the cost of eighty-three dollars, thanks to the ATM fees.

I left the location a little uncertain. My goal was to treat myself to something for my birthday, and November happens to be two months BEYOND that day. Plus, I felt the inherent cost of the service was a bit steep, especially considering what I was asking for. I have a well-known dislike of money and consider it an unwanted necessity of daily life. So I tend to cheap out a lot, especially if it’s something for me. I wasn’t certain if I wanted to pay THAT much for something that in my opinion, should have cost less. So, I did what any responsible consumer would do: I shopped around.

Obviously, I should have done this prior to accepting an appointment. My fear was that if all the similar businesses in the city were just as booked and busy, I would have a hell of a time getting my goal accomplished if I didn’t tentatively accept a date somewhere. But I found a second location that booked me in for a “consult” visit to discuss exactly what I wanted and how much it would cost. That appointment was yesterday afternoon…

The second location was excellent. After a brief five-minute consult, I discovered that my total cost would only be about a hundred dollars and I would be booked in as an end-of-day session within the next week. I was elated. Not only was this much less expensive than the first location, I could potentially get my birthday gift in and around my actual birthday instead of two calendar months later! The only problem is they needed the hundred dollars as a deposit prior to booking the appointment. It also had to be in cash. What is it with all these “deposits?”

I decided that I would attend the first location, cancel the November appointment and get my eighty dollars back. Then I could return to the second location and deposit the hundred dollars and pop in next week. It was a pretty sound plan. But as I always say, life doesn’t care about your plan. I was about to receive a rude awakening.

I walked into the first location and spoke with the same individual that I had booked the appointment with. I explained that I needed to cancel my November appointment. We briefly discussed the matter and he agreed to cancel the appointment. Then he thanked me for coming in and sat idle for about ten seconds, making direct eye contact. I explained I needed my eighty dollars back, to which he told me I wouldn’t be getting it.

The exchange went a little something like this:

ME: “Excuse me?”

HIM: “Well, yeah. Deposits are non-refundable. It’s part of our shop policy.”

ME: “That makes sense for someone who books an appointment and never shows up or cancels the day of. But I’m cancelling two months in advance. You can’t keep someone’s money and provide NO service whatsoever. You aren’t losing out here, you can fill the spot. You just finished telling me last week that you were EXTREMELY busy…”

HIM: “Look, I don’t know what to tell you, man. If you ever decide to come back, we can discuss a deal where I might not require another deposit…”

ME: (pushed ever so slightly over the edge) “ANOTHER DEPOSIT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? THERE’S NO WAY I’D BE COMING BACK TO THIS BUSINESS!!!”

HIM: “That’s cool, man. Because you aren’t welcome back, anyway. You can’t come back, even if you want to.”

ME: “So, you’re honestly keeping eighty dollars of my money without providing any service…?”

HIM: “That’s the definition of a deposit. Shop policy.”

I walked out with steam coming out of my ears and flames burning in my eyes. I was P-I-S-S-E-D. Modern life and modern society has a significant way of fucking with a man’s Zen. It only took me a few seconds to regain my calm, but it did nothing to eliminate my soured mood. I was out $80 that I needed and could have used for the second location. So not only have I lost the money, I won’t be getting my gift to myself.

Maybe I’m the asshole, here. Who knows? I’m too subjective to say for sure. Maybe it was a lack of communication. I could have possibly explained that I specifically meant my deposit when I asked about a safe window to cancel. Of course, the guy could have clearly explained that I wouldn’t get my deposit back, regardless of when I cancelled. There was likely some blame on both sides of the equation, but despite the fact I don’t necessarily believe the customer is always right, I think a bit of customer empathy was called for in this instance. ☯

You Are The Weapon

Without a doubt, one of my biggest pet peeves in recent years is the growing trend where folks are trying to “debunk” martial arts and “prove” why traditional fighting arts don’t work. Considering the fact that I’ve been studying karate for about 32 years at this point, it stands to reason that it has become more than just a hobby or pastime, and is factually a big part of not only what I do, but who I am. So when I see a post or hear someone who claims “karate wouldn’t work in a real street fight,” it not only gets my blood boiling but I can personally attest to karate being quite effective in both my personal and professional life.

This is not to be mistaken with people who spend their time exposing fake martial artists, the ones who claim to be black belts but are not and who take people’s money in exchange for teaching them a watered down version of their favourite movie fight scene. And there are unfortunately a lot of those. You can search “exposing fake black belts” on YouTube for some pretty awkward examples. But once you start creeping into the realm of “why martial arts don’t work,” you’ve gone too far.

Rather than piss and moan about it like a snowflake, I thought I would take the time to compile a list of the most ignorant yet often repeated comments I’ve heard about the martial arts over the years. Here are my top 5:

  1. Karate doesn’t work: Starting strong, right out of the gate! I’ve heard this comment so many times in the past three decades that it often feels like it’s tattooed on my forehead. The irony is that the comment is usually made by someone who has never studied or trained in the martial arts and doesn’t know any better. But coming from someone who has studied and used it on more occasions than I can count, I can tell you that karate, and martial arts in general does work;
  2. Martial arts isn’t “real” fighting, like MMA: Yeah okay, Kyle! Calm the fuck down and have another Monster energy drink… I’m not a big fan of MMA. Not because it isn’t intensive and hard-hitting, but because of the fact that its called “mixed martial arts.” Although I’ve often written that variety is the spice of life, martial arts still requires you to adhere to only one style in order to develop some level of consistency. You can’t study “mixed” martial arts. There’s no such thing. You can be a proficient student in one discipline and choose to dabble and explore another. In fact, that’s highly recommended as limiting yourself also limits your abilities. But to claim that MMA is more effective or more “real” than traditional martial arts is not only laughable, its ignorant of the facts. I usually like to remind MMA fans that shows like the UFC has its roots in traditional martial arts. In fact, the first few UFC pay-per-view events pitted traditional martial arts styles against one another, before they all started wearing bike shorts and fingered boxing gloves. Furthermore, it’s well-known that most if not all MMA fighters have some background and/or training in some traditional combat art. George St.-Pierre, for example, holds black belts in karate and jiujitsu. Ronda Rousey, who happens to be one of my personal idols, holds a black belt in Judo. Those are just a couple of examples. Hey, I’m a fan of MMA as a sport and enjoy watching a good match. Just don’t go calling yourself “mixed martial arts”;
  3. Karate only works in class where it’s controlled: Hmm, this is an interesting one because I can’t even come CLOSE to denying that a dojo environment is a controlled one. But the whole idea is that class is structured and controlled in order for you to learn properly in the event you ever need to use martial arts as a weapon. Think about firearms training. If you dropped a gun into the hands of someone inexperienced who hasn’t been trained, the odds of misuse greatly increases. A safe firearms user only becomes so after extensive training, drills and target practice. The same can be said for karate. It’s only after extensive training, drills and practice that you learn to use martial arts for the protection of yourself and others. This can only be accomplished in a controlled classroom environment;
  4. In a real fight, you don’t have time to stretch and warm up like you do in karate: That’s right. You don’t. But here’s the thing: you stretch and warm up in class so that you can learn properly and develop your skills without injuring yourself. And the more you work out, the better the chance that a sudden exertive burst can be used without injury as you build and strengthen your body’s muscle tissue. This is the same concept as in any other physical activity or sport that a person trains in, so karate isn’t any different;
  5. Martial arts weapons have no modern day, real-world application: Wanna bet? Yes, I’ll admit that you don’t encounter many sword fights in this day and age. But if you look at the majority of the weapons that most schools train with (bo staff, batons, knives and swords), the skills are still transferable. If it means protecting yourself or others, a stick is a stick. And all those training drills you performed will suddenly become pertinent as muscle memory kicks in. A weapon is nothing but an extension of yourself, and should be used accordingly.

So, does martial arts work? Yes. Is it an all-encompassing skill that can defeat anyone and anything and where you can participate in long, drawn out fights, taking and delivering multiple strikes to the head and body like you see in the movies? No. And obviously, the movie depiction of one martial artist facing off against a dozen opponents and coming out on top is unlikely. I don’t care how much skill you have; if a dozen guys come at you at once, you’re getting your ass kicked. Plain and simple. The important thing one also needs to remember is that martial arts isn’t for everyone. And not every style will suit every person.

I’ve encountered people who trained for a few classes and quit, then claimed that it was a waste of time or that it seemed stupid and they didn’t think it would work. If you approach it with that attitude, obviously it won’t work for you. But maybe it isn’t for you. And that’s the difference. Martial arts IS effective and has saved my skin on a number of occasions. But like many things in life, it’s also all in the eye of the beholder. ☯

Life Isn’t A Spectator Sport

It can be pretty tough finding the motivation to get moving. Light knows, it takes me several minutes for the signal to go from my brain to getting a response from my body when it comes to waking up in the morning. And if I didn’t start my day with a pinch of caffeine, I believe that the world would be in genuine danger. Which is likely a problem, since being that dependent on coffee can’t be a good thing, but I’ll tackle that problem some other day.

My point is, it usually feels “easier” to sit still than to get going. This is a natural inclination, much like choosing to go through a tunnel as opposed to climbing over the hill. But all things in life require a balance, and sitting still can be as harmful on the body as pushing yourself too far. This is why frequent and even daily physical activity is an important part of daily life, whether you have Diabetes or not.

According to an article posted by the Mayo Clinic (one of my favourite websites), a person should aim to achieve 150 minutes of moderate exercise or at least 75 minutes of intense exercise, with about two workouts a week contributed to strength training. I like how the article describes mowing the lawn as a moderate aerobic exercise. I’ll definitely start adding those sessions to my training log.

But those are American sources and since I’m in Canada, it would be nice to lean on a source from my home turf. An exercise guideline chart posted by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology outlines pretty much the same basic requirement of at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week in adults, with at least two days contributed to some sort of strength training. Although the “minimum” should include 10 to 20 minutes of physical activity or more, you should aim at hitting that 30-minute mark in order to reap the greater benefits.

So what happens if you don’t get enough exercise? The reality is that with everyone working from home and even before the pandemic, the average person finds themselves sitting far too much for far too long. This can have a number of nasty side effects on your heart, your weight, your back and even your mental health. But with all of us cooped up in our homes, many are tempted to flop down on the couch and binge-watch their favourite streaming services for days on end. This doesn’t just lead to the above-mentioned complications, but will also undo any physical conditioning you may have been doing prior to that.

Balance, people! Find the happy medium. If you’re doing work, especially in front of a computer screen, it’s important to get up out of your seat, stretch and move around. You should be doing this a minimum of at least once every hour. Although I wasn’t able to find a source for that interval, this is what has always been suggested to me. And if you have a boss that gives you hell because you’re getting up from your seat too often, check with your HR department on what your organization’s health policies allow you to do.

Since this is related to your health, your boss may be required to provide certain little benefits like a stand-up desk, floor padding or an ergonomic office chair in order to help alleviate any complications of sitting all day. And moving away from your computer screen to allow your eyes to adjust and focus on something else can also be very important. But I’m getting off topic, here. We’re talking about physical fitness…

From a Diabetes standpoint, maintaining your physical fitness will have a number of measurable benefits, including but not limited to better blood sugar control, improved insulin resistance and better blood circulation. Combine that with a reasonably healthy diet and most of the “pain in the ass” symptoms become manageable instead of lethal.

I can attest to that one myself, since insulin resistance was the main issue threatening my life when I was a child. Increased physical activity is what got me through. This would have been right around the time I joined the martial arts. Granted, even though this worked for me doesn’t necessarily mean it would work for everyone. But maintaining some level of physical fitness can lend nothing but benefits, if done properly.

When it comes to fitness, the sky’s the limit and I can almost guarantee that everyone can find SOMETHING that they enjoy doing that constitutes exercise. And at only 10 to 30 minutes per session, there’s little reason or excuse to claim you can’t find the time. I know a lot of people at work who would take walks over lunch, hit the gym and even meditate! Anything you can do to, as they say, get the blood flowing is a good idea and will help to eliminate or lessen unnecessary complications down the road. ☯

Feel The Heat 🔥

It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of extreme heat. The closest I can get to actually “enjoying” higher temperatures is if I’m in a hot tub and have an air-conditioned environment to retreat to, when I get out. So I’ve been in a “do nothing” state for the past while since the city I live in has been the subject of a heat wave that’s shown temperatures in the high 30’s. It’s made it difficult to breathe outside, and the heat has been more than my air conditioning unit has been able to keep up with.

The extreme heat broke about four days ago, and I’ve been spending my nights sleeping on the spare bed in my basement. It seems to be the only place that’s cool enough for me to actually get any sleep. Makes me a touch jealous of the friends I have who have basement apartments (you know who you are!). But the heat plays all sorts of hell on the life of someone with Diabetes.

I wrote a post on that very subject about two months ago, but with the extreme heat of summer in full swing it doesn’t hurt to provide some mild reminders. I reviewed an article posted by the Centres For Disease Control and Prevention that lists the following reasons why Diabetics are affected by the heat much worse than others:

  1. Nerve damage makes it more difficult for our bodies to cool, which can lead to heat exhaustion and stroke;
  2. Diabetics are prone to dehydration for a variety of reasons, including greater loss of fluids and frequent urination due to high blood sugars. Extreme heat will aggravate these symptoms and cause further dehydration, causing further blood sugar issues. Wash, rinse and repeat;
  3. Your body’s ability to use insulin will be affected by the heat, which means that you may need to alter your dosages and sensitivities based on this.

Obviously, the important preventative measures include sipping plenty of water consistently throughout the day and check your blood sugar often (unless you’re wearing a CGM, in which case just keep a close eye on it). Try not to work out in the extreme heat, at least not outside. And follow all the usual summertime protocol: wear a hat, apply sunblock and wear loose-fitting clothing in light colours. Whatever you can do to help beat the heat.

Last but not least, it stands to reason that high temperatures will affect most of your Diabetic equipment. This is especially true since most Diabetic equipment is powered by batteries, and they don’t do so well in the heat. High temperatures will cause batteries to work harder and can lead to leaks, failures but not least of all, dying quicker. Something to keep in mind, if you aren’t in the habit of carrying spare batteries. And if you use an insulin pump or carry around extra vials, bear in mind that insulin begins to break down when exposed to higher temperatures. This basically means that your insulin will turn into very expensive water, after a while.

Having Diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the summer. It simply means you need to pay closer attention to your health and well-being. And let’s agree that this would be the case for most people anyway. Stay hydrated and test your blood sugars frequently. And get some shade when you can. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go book an Alaskan cruise to get out of this heat… ☯

It’s Hard To See The Green When You’re Busy Being Blue

Some say the grass is always greener on the other side. This saying is based on a quote by Ovid, who wrote a poem entitled “Art of Love,” which is believed to have been written sometime in the first century. The quote reads “The harvest is always richer in another man’s field.” The idea behind this quote is that as a people, we generally tend to want what we don’t have. Own a house? Probably wish it had more rooms or space like your neighbour’s home. Got a family vehicle? Probably wish you had that sports car the resident up the streets drives around with.

No matter where you find yourself in life, it’s human nature to want what others already have. I remember being almost destitute in my early 20’s, living in a cramped, moldy apartment that was substandard and eating canned peas and ramen noodles to survive. I remember wishing I had the kind of home that many of my friends had, including multi-room apartments or houses. Looking back now, I understand that I was in a position that warranted wanting more. But when I look at what I have now, a family home, reliable transportation and a family, I consider it enough. Always wanting more can be an unhealthy habit.

Part of the problem is the biological aspect that makes us believe that when someone has something greater or of better worth, it’s necessary to our survival. Another aspect is that the population tends to be inherently jealous of what others have. But it’s far more important to acknowledge and appreciate what we already have as opposed to yearning for what we don’t. It reminds me of a story that I heard, years ago when I was in college. There have been a number of iterations of this story, but this is the one I remember the best:

A professor stood in front of his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar slightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous YES.

The professor then produced two bottles of beer from under the table and poured their entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things such as family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions. And if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff. If you were to put the sand into the jar first, there would be no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

Life isn’t easy, and there will always be situations that are critical and need to be immediately dealt with. So I’m certainly not making light of anyone’s difficulties. But it is of the utmost importance to recognize the things we do have and appreciate them. Especially in light of the current world situation, the bright side of things can mean the difference between continuing to fight, or lying down to be trampled.

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the professor’s students raiser her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked that. The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beer with friends or family.” ☯

How Does A Blind Person Smile?

This may be a question you’ve never asked yourself before, but take a moment to think about it. To be clear, I’m not talking about someone who has lost their sight at some given point in life. I’m referring to someone who was born blind and has never actually set eyes on another human being. How does this person know how to smile? And how do they know and acknowledge that this is a sign of happiness and/or contentment?

There’s a lot to be said for human instinct and we often take it for granted. Smiling is just one of those instinctive forms of expression that humans know, and it’s universally recognized around the world as a sign of positive emotion, even if it’s not necessarily taught. This like explains why my 1-year old son smiles his biggest smile, right around the time he’s filled his diaper for me. Kids.

What this teaches us is that humans have the ability to use aspects of themselves that are instinctive. Or in simpler terms, sometimes you gotta go with your gut. It takes a lot of effort to trust yourself enough to make tough decisions and hope for a positive outcome. And the truth is that your outcome may not always be positive. Sometimes, you may fail more often than you succeed. But you need to trust yourself and be comfortable n your choices. This is truly the only way you WILL succeed.

We all doubt ourselves, sometimes. But self-doubt is what usually leads to failure. Trust your instincts. They’ll bring you farther than you may think. And even if they sometimes lead you astray, always remember that failure also helps you to learn and grow. ☯