Good Stuff

July 1, 2014Scott Benner

I've sat through playdates, school trips (Oh the mind numbing school trips), countless practices and untold birthday parties while on BG patrol. I do my best - because I fear that the knowledge would make me crazy - to not wonder where all of the other parents go when they drop their kids, and run.

My time as a wallflower in Arden's life decreases each year as she takes on more and more responsibility for her type I diabetes care. Playdates are now managed via text message and I'm attending fewer parties, but I still stay at sporting events to help oversee her blood glucose levels.

During the early part of June Arden's 9 year old all star softball team won their tournament, ending softball for the summer. Well, it would have ended her season, you know, if she hadn't then tried out and made the 10 year old team. Since the older girls practice longer and more frequently than the younger girls, I've been spending two hours a day watching Arden practice. That is a lot of hours spent sitting on an aluminum bleacher, a literal pain in the ass brought to yours truly, by none other than diabetes.

But the greatest thing happened the other day, and honestly I wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for diabetes. So I'm writing this blog post in recognition of the fact that diabetes brought something positive into my life.

Arden plays third base on her 9 year old all star team but on the 10's she mostly plays right field. Prior to making the 10's, I would have describe Arden's ability to catch a fly ball as "not bad". That is, if the ball was within a reasonable radius of her, she could catch it most times. This is a skill that she has had to work harder on now that she is playing the outfield on a regular basis. I watched her struggle for the first week of 10's practice to track and catch these higher, harder balls. She never gave up but never-the-less, she was struggling. Then suddenly a few days ago, it all began to make sense to her and I was there when she figured it all out. I was actually looking at her when something that her coach said 'clicked' for Arden. It may seem like a little thing, but as a parent you don't get to see that moment very often. I was able to watch the lightbulb turn on over her head, I saw her smile when she first believed that she understood, and I witnesses the jubilation when she put her discovery into practice. I was only there because I was watching her blood glucose, because my life doesn't allow me to drop and run.