Play it again, Sami

Have you ever been to Disneyland, and gone on that god awful ride, the one where there’s all those evil Little House on the Prairie people with cult-like smiles plastered on their scary wooden faces, spinning around and around, singing that god awful song that relentlessly plays over and over in your head for days after…

It’s a world of laughter, a world or tears
Its’ a world of hopes, and a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all

Seriously, stab me in the eye!

So yesterday I was on assignment at a roadside ice cream shop (breaking news I tell you ;)) scooping ice cream alongside Sami, a 16-year-old girl who was seriously an ice cream scooping queen. Half way through the shift she asked if I wanted a cone? Did I want one? Uh, yeah! Before I indulged, I told her I had to test my blood sugars because I had diabetes, and her response: “Yeah, I have that same problem.”


Two ice cream scooping princesses … who also both happen to have diabetes.

Sami told me she was diagnosed at a year and a half and that while she’s really good at carb counting, because it’s really all she’s ever known, she’s not so good at testing her blood sugars, because she doesn’t like to bring attention to herself. In a quiet classroom, or a movie theatre, or some other intimate environment, the beep of the testing metre, for her, sounds like a bomb. Understandable. Which leads me to wonder why the heck are blood glucometres still so flashy and obtrusive? In today’s world, diabetic kids should not still be worrying over these sorts of issues.

Sami also told me her dad has diabetes and was diagnosed at 10 years old, and that she lives in the same town I grew up in, and goes to the same high school I went to. Needless to say, we had lots to talk about.


Sami teaching me how to make waffle cones.


I wasn’t so good at the rolling part … far too hot for my princess perfect hands 😀

After two hours it was time for me to head back to the office, but before I did, I popped into the artisan shop next door to the ice cream stand, which is owned by Sami’s aunt and where her mom also works. As soon as Sami’s mom saw me, she shouted out “I know you!” I searched her face, I listened to her voice, I tried to place her, but try as I might, I had nothing.

Sami’s mom: “You’re Princess!”
Princess, with a blank look on her face, suspiciously nods her head.
Sami’s mom: “You have a sister!”
Princess, still with a blank look on her face, nods again.
Sami’s mom: “Lisa?”
Relief washes over Princess. She does not have a sister named Lisa. This woman is completely mistaken. Wrong Princess. But Sami’s mom does not let up.
Sami’s mom: “No, no, Lisa’s not her name … … … Jules!”
Princess’s eyes nearly pop.
Sami’s mom: “I’m Tracy! Tim and Tracy!”
Ding! Ding! Ding!

Fifteen years ago, I was a sullen teenager with a huge crush on my sister’s friend’s husband. Huge. This guy was seriously like the Valley’s equivalent of Eddie Vedder! Tracy was the friend. Tim was the crush. And little Sami (and her siblings) was the babysitting job I always said yes to 😀 And despite Tim and Tracy knowing full well of my HUGE crush (thanks Jules!) and despite my constantly flushed cheeks whenever he was near (thanks again Jules!) I couldn’t be shy and mute around him like I was with all the other unavailables I had crushes on. We both had diabetes – common chatting ground!

Play it again, Sami:

It’s a small world after all, It’s a small world after all, It’s a small world after all, It’s a small, small world.

YESTERDAY’S PILATES:

  • 5:15 p.m. BG before: 7.0
  • Temp. basal: 0
  • Time: 1 hour
  • 6:30 p.m. BG after: 5.6

 

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