Diabetes Blog Week year 2, day 1

The list of things that I am not good at is extensive, it’s embarrassing really and it includes writing for Diabetes Blog Week. Here’s the honest thing... I don’t read other people’s blogs very often and these topics always have to do with other people. I wish that I did read more of what is out there but I don’t and for many good reasons. They are:

I don’t have time...  I don’t like to read... I’m afraid that my grammar is atrocious and that I’ll figure out just how bad it is when I see good writing. But mainly...

I want my blog to be as unique as I can make it and I’m afraid that I’ll be too influenced by all of your amazing writing and begin to lose my voice. Goofy? Maybe. High-minded and over-thought, perhaps but I promise not in a uppity way and it is a real fear.

Don’t get me wrong. If I follow you or you follow me I’ve read your stuff and there are a number of blogs that I make my way back to rather frequently. I think of it like when a therapist goes to a therapist. You have all helped me in so many ways that I could never properly say thank you. That said and I know how strange this will sound but when I started Arden’s Day I had never seen a diabetes blog, forum or even spoken to another parent of a T1 child. I was all like, “look at my honest blog about parenting type I kids, why hasn’t someone else already thought of this? I’m going to make a YouTube video... Look out Chris Columbus coming through!”, or something like that. Then I realized that you were all out there and I felt like I left England to find the New World but it was 1974.

I almost stopped blogging once I realized how many people were out there. I thought that this world that I “discovered” didn’t need another voice. I was especially worried that I seemed to be the only father in a rather large group of wonderful Moms and I felt out of place. So I began to just use the blog to hock people for Arden’s JDRF walk. Then one day I got the first of what now is countless emails thanking me for writing about Arden’s day. People were being helped by my want to be transparent about diabetes. The first email I ever got said, “your website saved my life in the first months of my son’s diagnosis” - you can bet that made me cry. So I stayed. I worked on my writing and I found enough courage to be even more transparent. 

Now back to Diabetes Blog Week. What a great idea and thanks to Karen at http://www.bittersweetdiabetes.com for making it happen again this year! Don’t be like me, head over and check out the other writing... all promises to be better than this contrived crap I just spewed out.

My post has nothing to do with the topic again. I can’t write from a prompt, my brain just doesn’t work like that. So, okay that’s the difference that I admire in all of you. Ugh, I’m being too literal with the topic aren’t I? 

Let’s end like this... there are a ton of thoughtful people out in the world living with some really terrible shit, a hand full of them write about it on the internet, something that I do and have a great amount of respect for. I’ve seen blogs come and go, this August will be my fourth anniversary and I hope that you all keep it up and that others continue in this tradition. You never know when you might write something that will save another person from losing their grip - funny thing is it helps you as much as it helps them. Good stuff!

Follow me on Twitter @ArdensDay. If you do I promise that I’ll do better on Day 2 of Blog Week. It’s letter writing day, free form baby... I can do that!

**

The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Meri

I've had to distance myself for months from reading blogs, it goes in ebbs and flows.  But there is a strength to be aquired from the power of "same."  

You should give yourself some more credit, you have a voice, and it needs to be heard!  :)

Monday, May 9, 2011 - 05:19 PM

George

The way I see it, we all have a story to tell and someone out there will connect with us when those stories cross. That is what I love about this community. We can learn so much from one another.

Monday, May 9, 2011 - 09:57 PM