The prompt: Let’s wrap up the week by sharing a little more about ourselves, beyond the chronic illness we or our loved ones live with. Share an interest, hobby, passion, something that is YOU. If you want to explore how it relates to or helps with diabetes you can. Or let it be a part of you that is completely separate from diabetes, because there is more to life than just diabetes!
I thrive when I’m active; fortunately, a variety of hobbies and interests outside of my diabetes keep me busy. Following are five fun facts about me and what I like to do in my spare time, or when I’d like to just forget about my diabetes for a while:
1) In March, I started mandolin lessons because I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument, and the mandolin seemed like an interesting but manageable choice. I still have a ways to go before I’m confidently strumming away to family and friends, but I do know a handful of songs and take pleasure in playing music. Just call me Mandolin Molly!
2) I enjoy baking every now and then. I love creating and consuming confections of all kinds, which some people might think is strange considering I have type one diabetes! But I love the precise art of baking—measuring ingredients, mixing them just so, and timing it so my treats come out of the oven in golden perfection. In the last month or so, I’ve made carrot cupcakes, peanut butter stuffed chocolate cupcakes, peanut butter blossom cookies, and flourless chocolate chip muffins (adapted from Carolyn Ketchum’s recipe, which may be found here https://asweetlife.org/flourless-chocolate-chip-muffins/). And each baked good tasted heavenly.
3) I’m addicted to crossword puzzles. I attempt to do at least one by myself daily—I’d say my success rate is one completed puzzle each week. I also make occasional contributions to the lunch hour crossword that my coworkers tackle Monday through Friday, and I’m usually able to assist with any sort of pop culture clues, especially ones related to Harry Potter or Disney. I think I like doing them so much because I almost always learn something new each time I do one, and I genuinely enjoy the challenge of wracking my brain for answers to clues.
4) Besides diabetes blogs, I’m super into junk food blogs. Yes, really, and there’s a bunch of them out there. What exactly is a junk food blog, anyways? The ones that I read are written by reviewers who sample and rate foods classified as, yep, you guessed it, junk food. This could mean chips, cookies, ice cream, candy, Pop Tarts, donuts…you name it, they’ve probably reviewed it. And most likely, it’s reviewed with blunt humor/sarcasm. My favorites include Junk Food Guy, Junk Banter, The Impulsive Buy, and What’s Good at Trader Joes. Shout-out to you guys!
5) Cosmetics are another creative outlet/hobby of mine. I try not to overdo it with my makeup, but sometimes you just can’t beat a good smoky eye or flashy red lipstick. Or pretty pastel nails, or aqua eyeliner, or sparkly highlighter…all the colors and textures and products make me happy. Recently, I’ve started to perfect winged eyeliner, which is a huge accomplishment to a make-up artist of any level. Some people don’t get the makeup obsession, which is fine, but as someone who can’t draw/paint and wishes that she could—this is the next best thing.
And another Diabetes Blog Week has come and gone. This year was really eye-opening for me and I learned so much from other bloggers. I’m grateful to Karen and the rest of the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) for participating and to YOU for reading my posts throughout the week! All week long, I’ve re-tweeted some of my favorite blog posts—I highly recommend giving them a read. Check out my selections by following me on Twitter @mj_asweetlife, or look at all of the blogs by visiting www.bittersweetdiabetes.com!
Mandolin Molly or Molly Mandolin. Both work. You’ll be playing for grace at every meal before you know it (whether or not you say grace in your house ;).
I’ll have to look for some Harry Potter crosswords. I didn’t know they existed. Sounds like fun.
Thanks for sharing.
Junk food is the best food! Great to get to know you more.