“We are here to transform our Desire to Receive for the Self Alone into a Desire to Receive for the Sake of Sharing. That is the only real spiritual battle of our daily lives.” I have been “battling” with T1D since being diagnosed in November of 1976 at the age of 14.  WTF happened?  I was playing soccer and hockey and golf and just getting to the age of being capable of inquiring into who I really am and BOOM!  Can you imagine?  I’m sure you can.  I took one injection of about 20 units of NPH insulin made from a pig.  It “worked” for 24 hours, peaking somewhere between the 7 and 12 hour mark.  No blood sugar monitors.  No A1C tests.  No pump.  No short acting insulin,  Everyday I felt like I was going to the circus to perform the high wire act all day and night.  I did pee on strip every once in awhile to see how much “sugar” I was “spilling” in my urine.  THEY put me on a 2500gm calorie diet and showed me the different food groups and some kind of an exchange system for monitoring carbohydrate intake.  I was released on Thanksgiving day in the late afternoon.  If you know Rochester, NY you know it can be one of the most dreary locations on the planet in late November.  It was about 37 degrees with a spitting rain and a strong wind of 15-20 mph.  It was already dark as f$#k.  The traffic lights were blurry.  I remember that.  I got to my Aunt Karen’s house just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.  What a lay out of all the best and, now for me, worst of delightful food choices.  Cranberry’s, mashed potatoes, candied yams, gravy, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, whipped cream……..I had lost 25 lbs in three days before getting to hospital.  I surely could afford to partake in this dinner??  Well….one tablespoon of mashed potatoes, 2 ounces of turkey and a small piece of cherry pie would pretty much match all I was suppose to eat all day.  Was this some kind of cosmic joke?  Or was it foreshadowing of the lessons I would learn over the next 43 years?  Was there a blessing in the curse?

I’m preparing for a shift in my life.  I’m moving.  It’s a long story which I will share some time if we ever have the opportunity to meet.  I am developing a 3 tier training/healing/transformational/awakening skill building type of training for people with diabetes and those that care for them.  Training has been my career and over the last 21 years I have had the opportunity to integrate my personal experience living with the condition of T1D (btw, this training will be equally applicable for T2D’s with a few tweaks) with yoga, meditation, acupuncture, massage, walking/running, weight lifting, food choices and other paths of inquiry.  

What I have developed is a process which increase one’s RESPONSE-ABILITY in dealing with the condition.  Tier One is about proper alignment and the awareness of the minimum requirements needed to stay alive and healthy.  Tier Two is a process that journeys to one’s current personal edge with awareness, skill development and optimal attitude required to push on that edge; to expand one’s capacity and desired outcomes.  Tier 3 is an intensive “push” into one’s untapped potential.  So few of us have the opportunity to experience the kind of attention, intention and focus to do a Tier 3 Type of Training.  I had the opportunity to engage at this level for a consistent 3 months several years ago and it is my desire to share this with others.  I have found that short intense pushes are one of the keys in dealing with the physical, mental and spiritual conditions brought on by diabetes.  

Keep an eye out for future posts. My dream is to have a place in south Florida for the winter months.