Spring Is Here

Spring is here. It has been a looong, cold, and snowy winter. I’m usually a big fan of winter — I love snowstorms, they make me feel like a kid again. But this year was a little much even for me. So it’s nice to hear the birds chirping and feel the air warming. It’s nice to see the days lengthening and the snow finally melting away. After this winter’s nonstop cold and snow, I’m in the mood for a fresh start.

I’ve always thought that New Year’s Eve is an odd time to make sweeping resolutions. Just because our calendar year starts in January doesn’t mean the natural cycle is starting there. In fact, it seems to me just the opposite. January is not a time to change or plan anything; it’s a time to hunker down and push through. Spring is the time for change, goals, and resolutions! Spring is when we FEEL that rush of energy and enthusiasm that makes us actually WANT to set goals and work for them.

If I’m going to be making “spring resolutions,” diabetes care should be part of the equation. So, here are my diabetes spring resolutions: First, I need to start monitoring more regularly. Too often I let myself “off the hook” and skip a check. It’s a bad habit that I’ve been able to “get away with,” but not a habit that puts me in the best position to care for myself. I’m not skipping out all the time, but I could stand to up my consistency.

Second, I’m finally going to see an optometrist and get my overdue eye exam. It’s been a while since I’ve had a full eye exam, long enough that I couldn’t tell you just how long it’s actually been. Eyes are an important thing for us Diabetians to care for! We ought to be getting yearly exams, and I can tell you that it’s been more than that since I had my last checkup.

Third, I’m going to get back on that bike! I was biking at least three times a week before all this snow hit, biking to and from work. I loved it! I felt better, I enjoyed the fresh air, I enjoyed the exercise, and it was of course great for my health. Then the snow came, and that snow STAYED ON THE GROUND for months! Seriously, my bike path was covered nonstop from mid-December until a few weeks ago! However, it is completely clear now. The weather is warm. There is no longer ANY good excuse for me to drive my car more than a couple times a week. Have I ridden to work yet? Um…no…no, I have not. In my head, I’m still blaming the snow somehow. Don’t ask me to explain the logic of that.

The rest of my resolutions can wait for now. There’s always more we can do. I could improve my diet a little, I’m sure. But let’s see how I do with the three resolutions I already mentioned first.

So what spring resolutions do you have? As the season warms and new life starts popping up on every tree branch, what new habits do you hope to cultivate? Diabetes care is about “creating a rhythm,” a daily choreography that can sustain us. And that daily rhythm puts us in natural sync with the rhythms of nature. So if you’ve got changes you want to make or habits you want to improve, now is the time to do it. Do some spring cleaning, clear out the old habits, and plant some seeds!