Forward Ho!

Have you ever noticed in life that interesting things happen at the most inconvenient times? This week has been a refresher course in this particular subject, at least for me. Among other things, just as my ward YW presidency prepared to meet with our stake YW leaders on Sunday, following ward conference, my blood sugar tanked in a dramatic fashion. Nice. For those of you who are not diabetic, this means my blood sugar level dropped drastically, causing an insulin reaction. The only way to remedy this situation is to consume carbs quickly to bring it back up.

So while everyone watched, I ran a quick check with my blood sugar meter to see exactly how low it had dropped, as I simultaneously unwrapped small pieces of candy that I keep in my purse for this very reason. When the number confirmed what I was experiencing, I hurriedly ate the candy, apologizing to everyone for this slight delay. My first counselor helpfully dug out some glucose tablets she keeps with her (one of her family members is also a diabetic) and she offered a couple of them to me. It all helped, but I felt totally humiliated. So I used humor to ease things for everyone. I knew they were nervous about what I was enduring, so I made light of the reaction, assuring them all that my brain cells would begin to function again soon. (It takes about 20 minutes to feel like a person after experiencing a reaction. I can usually bluff my way through after about 5-7 minutes.)

Everyone there was really good about that embarrassing episode, but it made me sigh internally. I had been planning for this meeting for a couple of weeks. We had spent quite a bit of time decorating our YW room in time for this annual visit from our leaders. (We were going to do it anyway, their visit just gave us an added initiative.) And we had important concerns to discuss. They had important new information to share. Then Murphy's Law took over the reins. I had even run a check on my blood sugar shortly before this meeting took place, and it had appeared to be okay. ;) C'est ma vie! (Such is my life!)

Yesterday I woke up feeling like the last chapter, with a raw throat, dizzy head, the works. It was an "aha!" moment. When I'm catching a bug, my blood sugar will bounce all over the place. No wonder I had put on such a performance the day before. =D

Yesterday morning, my oldest son also experienced a character building moment. He had to be to work by a certain time and he ran out the door about fifteen minutes before he needed to arrive. Normally, this would give him plenty of time. However, the weather surprised us all. During the night, about 8 inches of new snow fell in our realm. And when the snowplow went by to clear the snow from the road, it left about a two foot barrier all around my son's car, which he keeps parked out in front of our house.

After assessing the situation, he asked for help, and he was stuck with me. ;) Still feeling like I couldn't punch my way out of a paper bag, I threw on my coat and headed out the door. He asked me to climb inside his car to drive while he pushed. This proved to be a fruitless endeavor. Then our neighbor showed up with his trusty truck, equipped with a snow-blade, and saved the day. After we threw a blanket over the back of my son's car for protection, our neighbor pushed it through the snow and onto the road. We thanked him profusely, and my son hurried to work. He had already called to let them know he would be a few minutes late, and all was well.

It wasn't the way he had envisioned his morning. ;) I suspect the lesson for the week is that life rarely turns out the way we think it should. It's like a mystery novel; there will always be plot twists and turns. Evidently, these adventures are good for us. I know when I look back over my life, it is those unexpected twists and turns that have shaped my character the most. I think we learn more from unanticipated challenges, than those we painstakingly prepare for. That's when we truly see what we're made of, down deep inside.

When tornadoes hit our life, we show our true mettle. And I think in the long run, it's our attitudes that will matter most . . . how we reacted to the trials that were unpredictable. It will also count how we treated the people around us during the adventure, and how we continue forward when it's all said and done. It is tempting sometimes to place a paper-bag over our heads and pretend we're no longer in existence when things don't go our way. It takes a lot of courage to press on, despite our humiliating character building moments. (And yes, that is my cute little granddaughter in the picture above that is representing this concept.)

So this is my note to self for this week: try to be a sport even when my ducks are no longer all in a row. ;) Perhaps this is the best course for self-improvement. =D