A Diabetic Distraction

You know, with all the energy it takes to keep up with diabetes, sometimes I welcome the chance to engage in things that are truly ridiculous. I was given the chance to do just that a week and a half ago, when I received an announcement about a contest from American Standard for the “Best Toilet Story.” The winner, I learned, would receive a Champion 4 Toilet, their top-of-the-line flusher.

Most people would not read a contest announcement about a toilet and think it was fate. But then again, most people did not harbor a childhood obsession with bathrooms, manifested in a 1988 journal of a family trip to London. In this journal — written when I was 9 years old — I focused not on the sites we were seeing, but on the bathrooms they contained — complete with extensive descriptions and hand-drawn pictures. For example, an entry from a Cezanne exhibit:

Please note: the “crying” part is a reference to the fact that, earlier that day, I had left my favorite stuffed dog in the British Museum (I’d set it down on a glass case so that it could look at the Magna Carta and then forgot to pick it up). Hence the tears.

Anyway, upon receiving the announcement from American Standard, I was sure, more sure than I’d ever been about anything, that  I was meant to win that toilet. There was just problem: I had missed the deadline.

The story of what happened next is a parable of missed opportunity and of never giving up — of doing whatever it takes, in other words, to become a Champion. The end result? Thanks to a (borderline crazy) series of emails from me and the behind-the-scenes work of Jill, my new favorite person at American Standard, I am getting my toilet. Oh yes. And I am going to put up a framed letter from American Standard in my bathroom, explaining its story.

So what does this have to do with diabetes? Technically nothing. But like I said, sometimes it’s good to take a break to do something truly silly. And on a bigger level, I think it’s a reminder of how important it is not to let the hassles of your daily life — including all it takes to live with diabetes — kill your sense of fun.  Don’t be afraid to be ridiculous once in a while. At the very least, you’ll have a good time. And best case scenario? You could win a toilet.

(And not just any toilet. . . .)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQLPXImsHQk[/youtube]

Catherine Price

Catherine Price (www.catherine-price.com) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism

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Catherine Price

Catherine Price was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism