The Hardest Thing to Understand……..When a Disease Acts Like a Disease.

Ever have one of those days.  Just a day that you might need a friend to talk to, it happens from time to time.  Not a lot, but time to time.

When I have those days I have a few people I can speak to, and I do.  But every now and again, those people are involved in their lives as well.  I’m not that narcissistic to believe that at any given time anyone should be available for what ever I need, life just des not work like that, nor should it.  But it surely is nice to have a friend when you need one.

Life should be movement.  All of us should be moving all the time and on the occasions we connect, well that can be quite useful.

But there is another side to that also.  We need to be able to stand alone.

One of the things I have learned over the years is to be ready to face whatever I may be facing, alone.  If you choose to get rid of the problem, deal with the problem; than you will also be able to live with whatever emotion that you are feeling.  It took a long tome for me to learn that; it took many ‘test’ to become strong.

Of course recent days’ events, in particular, the untimely death of Robin Williams teaches us that this is easy for some and…….well……….impossible for others.  If we are able to recognize situations and place them in their proper compartments, we should recognize that gift and be happy that we are unlike the many who are faced with problems as water flooding in and unable to stop, unable to place anywhere……and “overwhelmus” (a word created by the late, great, and dear Dr. Richard Rubin) wins out.

I’m unsure why some can handle life’s problems and move forward and others are stymied by the smallest of incidents.  Life is life.  Life needs to be handled.  We are all given life to deal with and we are all also given life to enjoy.  And sometimes, as Mr. Williams life clearly illustrates, it’s truly, “Tears of a Clown” where the outside is smiling and the inside is tormented beyond comprehension.

I have constantly lectured, discussed, and written about staying positive with diabetes.  To choose to live positive and look for the positive.  It’s what I do.  It took a long, long time for me to able to do that in a productive manner.  “Choose” to do anything is never as easy as it looks.  It’s a goal we all need to do to the best of our ability.

I’m a huge, huge fan of Robin Williams and always will be.  Mostly because one of his biggest influences was Jonathan Winters who also influenced my good friend and college-chum, comedian Bob Nelson—–all brilliant.  In watching Bob before ‘there was’ a Robin Williams, allowed me to truly appreciate the mega-talent of that physical and lightening-fast humor.  Brilliance is truly the right word in all of their talents.

Mr. Williams had the Erma Bomebeck-esque way of making you laugh until your sides hurt and then ‘zap’ you with a performance so real and so compelling that you’re moved beyond measure.

I have learned something over the last few days as so many asked the million “how-s’ and the million “why-s”.  I’m not sure how one can ‘just shake’ themselves of the feelings to drive yourself to what drove Mr. Williams to his end.  It’s surely not that simple.  It’s surely a disease.

I cannot ‘just shake’ my kids out of (incurable type 1) diabetes any more than Mr. Williams could have just ‘shaken’ his inner turmoil away.  It’s a disease.  He had a disease.

In ways I have never shared, and never will but to those closest to me, in my younger days I’ve been close.  One must work constantly, work diligently to try to deal with a disease.  And no matter what we read and what we see and what we observe about other’s disease, if you don’t have it, don’t judge and…………..just be glad of the obvious………

……..that you don’t have it.

I am a diabetes dad.

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