"It's a constant fight (a constant fight)..."

Man makes plan, God laughs.

I forget who first said that to me, but I've had many reasons to revisit that saying over the past few years. Lately, it's been because as I grow older my body is slowly betraying me. I could cruise through a long bike ride that would probably humble me now. Yardwork leaves a stiffness that lasts until I have to plan the next project--even if that is three days later. A jog? Forget about it. And there are many times when I can't even control what I'm thinking, or how I act.

That is the result of unpredictable blood sugar levels and the frustration forced on me through Type II Diabetes.

When I first started to work at Oakwood Healthcare (the 'second miracle' I sometimes refer to, for those that are keeping track), I looked at it as a way to finally get it under control. It hasn't exactly worked out that way because it's not as simple as popping a pill, giving yourself a shot and living the way you want to live, the way you always expected to be able to live. It's been a struggle.

So when Oakwood started a 'Vitality for Life' initiative that would provide virtually unlimited access to nutritionists, trainers and health coaches, I jumped at the chance. And, because managing this condition (I refuse to call it a disease) has been a challenge for me, I figured it'd be a challenge to others, too. So I wanted to figure out a way to help them, and came up with the concept for my latest writing project.

It is an ongoing healthy blog geared toward the blood-sugar-challenged, as well as the aging weekend warrior in all of us. Many of the things I've learned through the past year are applicable to anyone with any kind of health concerns, and it's my hope that by talking more about the challenges and successes, I can let people know they're not alone and perhaps give them an outlet, too.

Here is the application letter I sent in for the Vitality of Life contest, entitled: Apply Blood.

I dab the end of the strip and suck the remainder of the bright bead of blood from my finger tip as the countdown starts.

It is not quite noon, so this will qualify as a ‘before meal’ reading. So much depends on the result. In the short term, it will forecast how I will feel for the rest of the day: how productive I will be; how much caffeine—if any—I will need to overcome any sluggishness I feel; what I can safely eat for lunch. In the long term, it means, simply: how long will I live and what will my quality of life be?

5….

I know this. I am a diabetic, having been diagnosed as Type II years ago. I have heard the lectures and the stern talks from doctors. Until a year ago, I couldn’t do anything about it because I didn’t have health insurance.

4…

When I started to work at Oakwood, one of my first personal goals was to get my health in line. At my first regular trip to the doctor, he asked me: What can I do for you today? I answered his question with one of my own: “How much time do you have?”

3…

We started with the blood sugar, because diabetes is a multi-system disease. It eventually affects everything. I went to the nutritionist. I got a meter. I followed the instructions. This time, I’m going to beat it, I told myself.

2…

But the diet didn’t work and the sheet the doc gave me to record my Blood Sugar Readings (BSR) didn’t leave enough room for info. I graduated to a diary and essentially turned my fingers into pincushions trying to gather enough evidence to figure out what was happening inside me and how I could control it. That was several months ago.

1…

It’s strange how you can do the same thing on consecutive days and get different results. I exercise—a lot compared to some people. I have cut down on the carbs, dramatically. I eat smaller meals more frequently, counting things like grams of dietary fiber. One day, this routine will get me down to 170. The next…

 268.

Well, f*#%. I wonder what threw it off this time?

Hopefully, as I figure this out, I can help you learn to be healthier, as well. But I caution you: what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. It’s a complex carbohydrate world out there, and we have to take it one day at a time.

For current entries, visit the Dearborn Patch.

And, as always, let me know what you think. Here, there, or anywhere!

'Drunk, and in charge of a bicycle'

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) did more to inspire me than any other writer.

I have a dog-eared, highlighted and yellowed copy of his Zen in the Art of Writing within reach at nearly all times and several quotes from it in a file on my desktop labeled 'In Case of Emergency.' His words, bold, simple and pure, are more than just a reflection of who he was. They're a reflection of who we all should be: enthusiastic about life and adventurous in its execution.

The above quote came from that book, as did the title for this entry (It is perhaps my favorite title, dating back to my time in Eugene, OR, when it quite frequently applied to my state of mind and activity). Here are some more:

"Every day I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. That landmine is me."

"So while our art cannot, as we wish it could, save us from wars, privation, envy, greed, old age or death, it can revitalize it amidst it all."

"We must take arms each and every day, perhaps knowing that the battle cannot be entirely won, but fight we must, if only a gentle bout. The smallest effort to win means, at the end of each day, a sort of victory."

"If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer."

His advice was directed toward writers, of course, but it applies to life, too. Passion, he says, often saves the day.

I use the quote 'You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you' often enough, when I'm trying to convince myself to sit down and actually do the job. I've had a tough year so far, and thought it was particularly appropriate. Only yesterday did I realize that I was reciting it to myself and others, but not really embracing the concept. the difficulties I've had in piling up the word count stem from the fact that I was, once, 'drunk on writing,' but have since sobered up. I have managed to take all the fun out of it.

One of his final interviews--I have since lost the link--contains this gem: "I don’t think about what I do. I do it. I jump off the cliff and build my wings on the way down."

It is not very practical advice for adventure seekers, but writers can do a lot worse. For everyone else, I think it means it's okay to take a chance; it's good to take a wild leap, to live life with gusto and seek that zest and gusto we may have lost.

Thanks for the parting words, Ray. Thanks for the stories.

"Pick up my guitar and play; just like yesterday..."

With elections in Wayne County and at the state and federal level, not to mention what will likely be contentious local races in places like Plymouth Township and Van Buren Township, this campaign season promises to be one filled with intrigue.

One place I did not expect to see it, however, was in the race for the 11th Congressional District, where incumbent Thad McCotter was destined for re-election.

I know one of his Democratic challengers, Dr. Syed Taj, both through my job at Oakwood Healthcare and former work as a newspaper editor who sporadically covered Canton Township, where Dr. Taj served on the board of trustees. While I like and respect Dr. Taj very much, I thought he faced the proverbial uphill battle in taking on an incumbent in a district that so heavily favored Republican candidates—and McCotter's district is so thoroughly Republican that all he really had to do was get his name on the ballot.

Oops.

Well, by now, anyone who cares (and many who don't) know about the issue with McCotter's petitions. For those that don't, about 84 percent of the 1,850 or so signatures turned in on behalf of McCotter were ruled invalid. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said recently that he would investigate the situation and would not hesitate to prosecute if his office found any sign of fraud.

That's a good thing, of course, because the last thing anyone needs is to give voters another reason to be suspicious of the electoral process. (Although one could probably make a case that the gerrymandering that created a district virtually destined to remain in Republican hands, itself, 'undermines the whole validity and credibility of the election process'.)

I will be interested in the outcome of the investigation, which McCotter has said he asked for and will cooperate fully with. I've known McCotter for more than a decade, as I sporadically covered his political career dating back to his time on the Wayne County Commission. As he climbed the political ladder, I thought all he needed to do was work on his people skills and he would be able to do anything he wanted in government. I was happy to see him run for the top office in the nation, actually, and still think he's a better option than Mitt Romney.

I can't believe he had any direct involvement in this petition fiasco. He has too much integrity and too much respect for the electoral process to knowingly allow such a thing and, besides that, he's too intelligent to think that the petitions—if they were as obviously false as they've been described in the news reports—would pass even a cursory inspection.

It's hard to say what the long term and short term fallout will be, who will benefit and who will not; if McCotter will be able to pull off the monumental long shot of a successful write-in campaign or if someone else will. The end result, though, is that McCotter now faces his own uphill battle, and this race got a lot more interesting.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120601/POLITICS01/206010372#ixzz1wYqPPSNW