I Resolve...

Yes, I’m the type of person who makes resolutions at the beginning of each year. Are you surprised?

I choose really nice stationery, get one of my fountain pens in working order and sit down to write everything out. When I’m done, I read through it and pick a key word that seems to summarize what I’ve written. “Improvement,” “Success,” “Relax,” and “Control” are a few words I’ve used in the past. I put my resolutions in an envelope, seal the envelope, write the year on it and put my word on it. I tuck it away and never look at it again during the year.

I know it may seem weird, but me just sitting down, thinking about what I want to accomplish during the year, what I want to experience, what habits or hobbies I want to cultivate and what emotions I’d like to indulge in, is enough. I don’t make a checklist of my resolutions, I just sort of make a plan in my head and in my heart and keep it there through the year.

I also make sure that in addition to the big, long-term resolutions, I put a few “dreamer” ones on there—things I hope to do one day—and a few small ones that I know I’ll definitely accomplish—take the Christmas tree down by January 10. Some of my dreamer ones I’ve actually filled; granted, not in the year I wrote them, but still, climbing in a pyramid in Egypt was worth the resolution I wrote years ago.

This year, I’ve decided to make separate resolutions for my diabetes. And instead of my pretty stationery, I’m using my pretty blog page. So here goes…

1. Check my blood sugar more. There are days when I go by feel, as opposed to pulling out my meter and doing an actual test. While I’m usually pretty good at knowing where I’m at by how my head and my body feel, there are times when I surprise myself when I actually do do a test. As they say on D-Life, “Test, don’t guess.” And it really would help me chart what’s going on if I had actual numbers to chart. Which leads me to…

2. Hook up the cable on my meter to my computer. I’m a MAC girl, and, unfortunately, the electronic diabetic community seems to be mostly PC based. I’ve had a hard time finding the right cables and software to hook my meter up to my computer, but I ran across something a few months ago that I think might work. I ordered the cable in great excitement, waited patiently for it to arrive in the mail. Ripped it out of the package when it came. Then promptly set it on a shelf and forgot about it. I will, I will, I will hook that cable up and make it work.

3. Exercise better. This should just be branded permanently on my forehead, in ambulance mirror type so I see it every morning when I brush my teeth. It’s probably been on every resolution list I’ve made since 1987 and it’s something I always struggle with. Each year I start out fantastically, then fade out, then renew, then stop, then start, then sit on the couch, then run three miles a day for six weeks straight. It’s not that I don’t exercise, it’s that I’m not as consistent with it as I need to be. So I’m going to try to find a way to exercise better—find a program or system or agenda or schedule I can actually stick with.

4. Make more doctors’ appointments. I’m horrible with checking in with my doctors—in 2008 I only went four times for a check-up (or was it three?). I only saw my endo once. It could be because I wasn’t really impressed with any of my doctors, but I now have new insurance and my choices are better. So after I find someone I like, I’m going to actually go see them every couple of months. And I might even try to get a diabetes educator. Wouldn’t that be something?

5. Find a balance. Sometimes I’m too hard on me—mentally chastising and scolding myself for bad numbers, not checking my sugars or not making doctors’ appointments. And sometimes I let myself get away with too much. I’m looking for a balance this year where I’m taking care of myself the way I should be, but in a way that doesn’t infuse guilt, disappointment or anger into my system.

6. Be more creative with food. I’m an expert baker. I’m not a bad cook. I have a huge assortment of cookbooks. And, I really love grocery shopping (actually, to the point where people think it’s strange). There’s no reason I should be eating the same 10 things over and over again. I can do low-carb creatively—and without excessive amounts of cheese. I declare this the year of the mushroom!

So there it is, in black and white and read all over. My keyword for this list: Positivity (even though spell-check tells me this isn’t an actual word). Because I’m going to have a positive view about my diabetes this year.

May your 2009 be everything you want it to be—and a little bit more.

As always, more to come…