I Have To Eat, Now.

“I have to eat, now.”

It’s a simple phrase, it’s concise, it’s to the point, and when I utter those words, my type 3 friends know I mean business.

We can be walking at the mall or on the beach, chatting in the kitchen, or at a bar catching up over a glass of Cabernet - And in mid conversation I'll look at my friend(s) and say: I have to eat, now.

Sometimes I don’t even say the words at first, I just reach in my bag and grab my trusty larabar or roll of raspberry glucose tabs and start munching, while continuing on with the conversation.

And who ever I’m with will look at me and say: Are you all right Kel?

And I’ll look at them and say: I’m fine; I just have to eat, now.

Even when I was a little girl, I’d whip out an apple in the middle of class and start eating. I don’t remember telling my teachers every time I did it, I just remember doing it. Sometimes between classes I’d march down to the nurses office and say: I have to have orange juice, right now.”

In my little girl world, I knew what would happen if I didn't eat - and that scared me.

And as an adult, it still scares me.

Once, in Philadelphia traffic court, my blood sugar was going low and I started munching on peanut m&m’s on the down low. In Philadelphia traffic court, no food or drink is allowed, and the bailiff came up to me twice and told me to stop eating.

The second time he told me that if he had to come over again, he’d hold me in contempt and put me in a cell for the duration of traffic court - Yes, Philadelphia can be pretty badass. Keep in mind; this is the same city that held Eagles Court – complete with judge and holding cell, built in the under belly of the now defunct and blown up Vet Stadium.

When Eagles fans got too rowdy at a game and started breaking all types of laws, they were taken to Eagles Court, tried, fined, and sometimes booked and hulled off to jail.

But back to the bailiff, when he threatened me, I threatened back. I looked him straight in the eye and said quite calmly: I have diabetes and I have to eat, NOW. If I pass out due to a low blood sugar, I won’t hesitate to sue you, this court, and this city.

Of course, he apologized and I stayed in court -as did my peanut m&m's, until me case was called. I fought my parking ticket, which was actually due to my failed inspection sticker.

My car had recently failed inspection, but according to the state of PA, I had 30 days to fix my break light. The brainiacs from the Philadelphia Parking Authority neglected to realize that I did indeed have 30 days to fix said taillight issues - even though that's what it clearly stated on the failed inspection sticker, and slapped a big, fat ticket on my car.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is also quite notorious and even has it’s own show called Parking Wars on on A&E. Anyway, I won my case.

But, I digress.

Back to the subject at hand. My type 3 friends understand the code for: I have to eat, now.

And that not only makes my life easier, it makes me realize how lucky I am that the type 3's in my life that love and understand me and my dspeak - even when I don't utter the D word~