Ekphrasis

First off, we have to define the word, because it's not a common one. The dictionary says that ekphrasis is a description or commentary on a visual image, and the WEGO prompt was to choose an image and then talk about how it relates to our health concern.

The title of this picture is "The Light Harvest", by Brad Wagner. And it made me think of a day with diabetes. Each little hanging flower is a point of time, and if we let them all pile up on us, we can so easily get overwhelmed. There is so much to do and so much to think about and process and figure out in the course of managing our disease.

But the young man in the picture is not focusing on all the flowers. He's focusing on just one, and appreciating it. I imagine that he could focus on the others, each in their own time, with the same degree of attention and love, but for now, it's just this one.

That's how it is with diabetes. Of course we will have to confront what the day brings us as it progresses, but for now, we need to deal with the present. If my blood sugar is high or low, then I need to deal with it NOW. It doesn't matter what else I want to be doing, the diabetes takes full priority.

This can be very annoying, and even dangerous, for example, when you have a low while driving. All the more reason to focus on just this moment, and do what needs to be done. And remember that, nuisance that it is, you do it because you DO want to focus on yourself and take care of yourself, and love yourself. It really boils down to love.

I don't love my diabetes, but I DO need to focus on it in order to love myself, just like the man in the picture.