We All Need Rhythm

I have been working on another book, tentatively titled Dear Warriors, as a guided journal for those of us with type 1 diabetes. I wanted to post a rough draft of one piece to give readers a sense of the editing process. I remembered writing a blog post on a similar topic called Fast Enough to Get There and would love to hear your thoughts & suggestions. Does one speak more to you? Why?

Clockwork- Rhythm

I noted in a previous essay that I was glad to have more flexibility in handling the many facets of diabetes as was possible even 20 years ago. Now I’m going to make a testimony on the benefits of rhythm.

Sunrise, sunset. Hours tick by: tick tock tick. Sometimes we can get so frustrated with the speed or slowness of time that we lose sight of a simple fact:

We can use time to our advantage.

I started running in the summer of 2016. I started despite the activity itself. I didn’t like the idea, nor think it even possible to, run. Miles? You must be joking.

I began with a song that naturally stirred me to move (BigBang’s Seungri’s What Can I Do?). 3:40 of running? Don’t be absurd. Try 30 seconds. Then walk another 30. Repeat. And once more. Wow. I just ran for 1:30! I continued, walking, in celebration for the rest of the trail.

The next time, I had a 5-song playlist. I told myself to just walk and feel the rhythm. With the help of an app, I was cajoled to pick up the pace and really follow that music’s beat with my whole body. I sang along in my head. I sang aloud to the sky. OK, actually, I gasped. I matched my feet, breath and arms to the cadence pumping into my ears. Time finally started to pass.

I’m not telling you to run. I’m giving you a reminder that anyone, even me, can find a rhythm. Something that works for you. My beat is not your beat. It can cover anything in your day: when you eat, how you eat, when you sleep, when you move.

You decide. Again and again.

Chances are, you may have to tweak your rhythm as you discover what really excites and drives you. That’s another gift of embracing rhythm: you quickly see what works and does not for you. You get the opportunity of filling your days more and more with what matters most to you. All because you follow a rhythm and embrace its magic.