Diabetes Blog Week: I Can...... I Have... And I Will Continue~

Today is the first day of Diabetes Blog Week - The brain child of Karen over at Bittersweet Diabetes. Today's topic is "I can," and I love that topic.
Here's my "I Can" post - I hope you dig it~  
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I Can… I Have… And I Will Continue. 
I’ve traveled the world and eaten cupcakes on two different continents, I’ve slept in at least 5 different different time zones and 11 different countries. 
I’ve tried to make the Buckingham Palace Guards smile and laughed out loud when I encountered the Manneken Pis in Brussels. 
I cried when I arrived and departed Italy and left a little piece of my heart there - The same can be said about a waiter from Spain I met in Brussels - but that's for another blog post. ;) 
I’ve watched the sun rise and set in Hawaii and climbed through the mist to damn near the top of Diamond Head Mountain.
I hiked a Flatirons trail the Easter after my dad passed, snacking on peanut butter and honey sandwiches and finding God in the views.
I’ve worked jobs I’ve loved and jobs I’ve hated - some physically demanding (waitressing in college at a beach resort), and most mentally challenging.  
I’ve parasailed over the ocean, snorkeled in the waters of Isla Mujeres  - back when it still had, but was quickly losing it's status as a small fishing village - And came this close to missing the last ferry back to Cancun - running frantically down the pier and screaming in spanish for the ferry to stop. 

I climbed to the top of Chichén Itzá’s, El Castillo Pyramid (climbing down was a lot more difficult,)  and watched in awe as the shadow of the snake appeared down its side during the Spring Equinox. 

I’ve paddled my long board out past the pier and rode it damn near the shore, jet skied 60 miles along the Chesapeake and the ocean - all with diabetes. 
I’ve gone camping in Providence town Massachusetts (not a fan - I like hotels - I’m more into glamping,) so I could hitch a ride at dawn on the The Portuguese Princess - whale watching to my hearts content, during the spring migration. 

I’ve performed on stages and was a damn fine Audience Coordinator for a damn fine cooking show. 
I am practicing my craft as a writer and because of diabetes,  I found and became part of the Diabetes Online Community. And it’s because of my diabetes and my community that I’ve found my calling and my passion and became a Diabetes Advocate - SO thanks for that, guys.

And I've lived - And continue to do so - when others I loved with diabetes did not. 
And I think about them everyday - And wished the Diabetes Online Community had been there for them. 

Here’s the thing - There’s nothing I can’t do with diabetes - except make insulin - everything else is game on. 
Does diabetes get in the way sometimes and require me to plan things out more than most?
Yep, it does -and it can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, too - but that’s OK. 
I’ve found that the only limits I have because of my diabetes are the limits I set for myself. 
If I think I can’t - than I won’t - and that goes for everything in my life, including diabetes. 
It’s easy for anyone to say they can’t - because doing and becoming is fucking scary - busted pancreas or not. 
Facing the what ifs can be daunting and has the ability to stop us in our tracks. 
And there have been times in my life where I’ve let the what ifs/and the I cants get the best of me and I allowed them to keep me frozen in my tracks. 

But I’m done with that - And I’m all about embracing the I CAN, the I WILL and the I AM  in all aspects of my life.. and my life with diabetes.

But  when I do encounter those moments of self doubt and the "I cants" start creeping towards me - I will turn to the DOC - because I know you will give me the strength to plow past the "I cants" and arrive at destination I CAN with bells on!