Where are your blue shoes??

So...in keeping with my *oh so typical, sad, tired, ghetto, style* blog posts...
WHERE are you keeping those shoes??
Are they out and proud?
Are they tucked neatly in a closet and are you looking at them saying.... WHERE IN TARNATION am I ever gonna wear them?
It doesn't matter....they are there. And we know, I know, how hard it is to banner your battles with Diabetes.
The very fact that you have them, know about what they mean to me...to us...means more than you know.
I don't blog often anymore...more for the fact that I am an idiot, and not so much that I don't need to share my weird personal battles with the interwebs.....my point, and I do have one...is this....
I miss you guys, and I want to hear from you.  Share your Diabetes PRIDE...
We need a banner day, lambs.
Or a paid vacation, all together....with someone else picking up the tab....like....*insert your big Pharma here*
Hi from D. Lo.
And for the record, the kiddos BG is 101.

Walk the Catwalk… The Diabetes Catwalk

They were big, and golden; an amber kind of golden. Big, and gaudy. Flashy. A novelty. I'm not really sure how my mom got them. These were about size 11 heels, and my mom was around 5½.

All I knew at the time, was that they were awesome. They were not the same, boring, every day, sensible shoes that *I* had to wear. Brown or black, mom always said. "All you ever need to compliment an outfit, are either brown, or black shoes. Otherwise you end up wasting money, foolishly."

They were always tucked away at the very back of my oldest sister's closet (and she was a size 8)... and every time they came out during a Spring closet cleaning (and for some reason, never disposed of), it was like Christmas morning.

I remember the day I discovered them. Mom seemed almost embarrassed to own them, and seemed to try, rather discreetly, to just put them back where they were. But their glint, and glitter caught my eye... and a love affair of sorts began. I eagerly asked if I could try them on... for role play, I said. I must have been about 6 years old. Amazingly, she easily caved in, with an "Oh, alright... but only for a little bit," which she sternly declared. "And be careful in those things, don't fall and get hurt."

They were just enormous on my little feet, of course... but who cared! They had the tallest high heel I had ever seen... and well, you put them on, you tried to prance "elegantly" down the long hallway with the mirror at the end, and you tried hard not to trip! And at 6 years old, no one really thinks you're going to "doll up," and run off with a boy, while wearing size 11, 'loose woman' kind of heels, so your mom LETS YOU play in them! Oh, joy!!

I loved those heels. I loved everything they represented.

But I grew up... and I never bought my own pair of gaudy, flashy... glittery heels. I was always caught up in the sensible, brown or black, Catholic-school-approved type of shoes. I had almost forgotten the memory of those golden beauties, until about this morning (to tell you the truth). I don't know why I chanced remembering them, now.

Maybe... just maybe... because recapturing that bit of morning joy; that childhood love affair... That's how the Blue Heel Society makes me feel.

You see, it was never comfortable walking in those shoes... and you were always an inch away from falling on your face! Those things were not exactly the stuff of Hush Puppies' commercials... but that was never the point. The point was being fabulous, being a Queen, being the Grande Dame, being... a rock star. Being someone you NEVER thought you could be... with just a pair of shoes. Being... a fabulous diva.

As adults, we tend to lose some of that imaginative edge... And it does seem a lot harder, now, doesn't it? To be inspired to reach those heights? To live out our dreams? To even get up, and get going... because we have a different kind of catwalk, these days. Some mornings, we can barely manage it. You know which walk. The Diabetes Catwalk.

Figuratively, or not, we wear our own painful heels, every day... and we walk down our own long, mirrored corridors, on our own slick flooring, trying hard to "elegantly" strut our stuff. Trying hard to seem every bit the poised people we were meant to be. It's really not an easy walk... and frankly, some of us seem to do it with so much more ease than others. (But boy, if the shoes could talk! I'm sure they'd tell another story...)

The diabetes catwalk is probably, by far, one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. A painful walk, in painful shoes... while facing myself in the mirror, down a long corridor. Facing the mirror; facing the music. Facing a life long, seemingly endless journey.

You and I... We will never wear the same shoes. And we were never meant to, but in a way, we do. We wear the shoes of faith, of pride, of endurance, perseverance, of love, of joy... of hope eternal. The shoes of pain; of tears, sometimes, of anger, exhaustion, and grief... of resentment. We walk them down slick corridors, down gravel roads, down inclines, down every path that life imagined... They fit our feet, in their own unique ways... and they are... their own burden.

But my friend, though  your shoes are different, if they walk beside mine down that long, crazy, winding corridor of life... they give me wings. A shoulder to lean on, should I trip. They make that long walk, all the shorter... all the more fabulous, all the more doable. I can be anyone. Do anything; balance on anything. I am, suddenly, the Grande Dame, the fabulous diva, the rockstar... the sexy thang.

Yes, I am proud to be a Blue Heeled Wearing Diva... and I am even prouder, when you are wearing yours, right next to mine. Walk with me. Just for a mile. Or maybe just two. I promise I'll catch you; catch you if you choose.

by Lizmari
http://theangrytype2diabetic.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com//lizzmariposa

What BLUE means to me...

I HATE blue!! Before you get your heels all in a twist...let me explain. Blue has been in my life FOREVER!! Those of you that have attended a catholic school know what I mean. Blue is everywhere...it was in my school uniform, it was in my spirit wear, sports uniforms,shoes, backpacks, sweaters...like I said, it was everywhere...for 8 years!! (I think I chose a public high school just to get away from blue!) I stayed away from blue like it was the plague. If the option was blue or naked...I'd take naked, thank you very much!! Fast forward many, many years and now my T1D daughter is attending the EXACT same catholic school wearing the EXACT same uniform!!!

(My girls, Nora & Evy. The uniform on the left is the one I wore!)

But now with the push for a circle to denote the universal symbol of diabetes and a BLUE circle at that, I've started to see blue, in a different way. Now, I smile when I see blue. I am SEEKING blue, everywhere I go!  My first purchase of blue shoes set me over the edge and I became a "blue-for-life'er".  I'm one of those people that when I'm committed to something, I obsess. My husband knows this... for Christmas he bought me a blue jacket, blue Converse and a blue Pandora bead. He said I could wear them to all my diabetes events.(Insert "AWE" here...I love that man!) I can't go into a store without looking for blue clothes and of course, blue shoes!! It's so bad that every time I see something blue, I squeal in delight! I've even got my sister looking...and she is NOT a shopper!!

   

(My first pair!!)

But what does all this mean?!?! (besides the fact that I obviously need therapy!!) Now...blue means: diabetes, DOC, unity, strength, love, but most of all it means HOPE. Hope that with each day, new medications and  new devices will improve the health of my diabetic daughter and  HOPE for what we all so desperately want...a CURE!! To see diabetics, their family and friends all together,  all wanting a cure...people we don't even know yet brought together by this dreadful disease, showing solidarity by wearing blue is a sight to behold.


(WDD 2011 Cincy, OH Artistic Vision)
I wear blue to support my diabetic daughter and raise awareness for diabetes. It's amazing how a blue pair of shoes can turn into a conversation about diabetes. Don't believe me? Try it! It happens to me all the time! So, I guess I've come full circle...the color I've despised for years has now become my new favorite color! I <3 blue!! 

HOPE, STRENGTH, LOVE & BLUE!   

The Evolution of The Shoe... Blue Ones Too...

As defined by Wikipedia:

"The earliest known shoes are sandals dating from about 8000 to 7000 BC and found in Oregon, USA in 1938. The world's oldest leather shoe, made from a single piece of cowhide laced with a leather cord along seams at the front and back, was found in a cave in Armenia in 2008 and is believed to date to 3,500 BC."

The shoe has evolved over the years with the advent of new technologies, creation processes, and materials. In the early 16th Century, the Chopine platform shoe appeared requiring servants to help you walk.  This was the Great Grandmother of today's High Heel.

 

The evolution of colors, style, materials, and function has continued through today where we are blessed with a dazzling array of technologies that allow the making of some spectacular shoes.

 

Just as the shoe has evolved for the last 5000+ years, The Blue Heel Society continues to evolve and adapt to changes and different styles.  What started out as a mere social media post 3 months ago has, thanks to the support of all of you, evolved into something unbelievably Bluetiful!

As part of that process, The Blue Heel Society would like to announce that it has added another pair of heels to the staff! Jen Hamilton Loving will be functioning in the critical role of Chief Content Officer for our organization.  

Jen is very well known within the Diabetes Online Community, and has first hand experience with diabetes as her 11 years old daughter was dx'd Type 1 at the age of 4.  Jen currently works as the Chair of The Family Outreach at her local JDRF chapter, and she spearheaded World Diabetes Day at Cincinnati's Fountain Square.  Through Jen's efferts and persistence, the local businesses to turn their buildings (most notably the Great American Insurance Tiara) BLUE on November 14th.

All of us here at The Blue Heel Society are very excited and grateful to have Jen step into her new position!

Hippies and BLUE Shoes Enter Through The Side Door

There are many trends that come in like wild fire, and everyone MUST have.  Very quickly, as soon as everyone is sporting the "look" it rapidly vanishes.  To be replaced by another johnny come lately style cue.

Who can forget hairstyles like the Bee-Hive or Mullet:

 

Saddle shoes:

Skinny ties:

Leisure suits:

And the old athletic shorts:

Wouldn't is be nice if diabetes just went out of style....

Do You Have These Blue Heels In Size 10? Mens.

Most of the time I get to talk diabetes in a very natural and comfortable setting for me - with my bike, when training or racing.  I am surrounded mostly by guys who also love the sport of cycling, attempting new races, testing new bling titanium and carbon parts, reading maps, dodging wildlife, dealing with weather, and wrestling with my BGs along the way.

The day before World Diabetes Day, with the launch of The Blue Heel Society, that changed.

A bit.

It's definitely not that the BHS community is unkind.  Quite the contrary.  All involved, from the co-founders to all the folks awesome enough to post pics of Blue shoes, are the most thoughtful, encouraging, non-judgmental, and courageous people I've ever encountered.

It was just that instead of being surrounded by Trek Superflys with big knobby tires and 100mm of suspension travel, I find myself immersed with delicate Choos and Loubutins with a 5" heel.

At first it was intimidating to say the least.  I was completely out of my element.  I didn't even know the vocabulary. A Dolly Shoe?  A Peep Toe?

Oy.

Then there is the whole looking for Blue shoes, and trying to capture photos and talk to people about them, while out in public.  A little bit of a social mine field to say the least.

As time progressed, I began to fit in a little bit with this group made up of mostly women from all walks of life.  I learned the buzz words, and opted into conversations about shoes, diabetes, diets, and insulin to carb ratios with them.  Heck, I think I even noted once when Nordstrom had a sale.

If you stop and think about it, the social aspect is really JUST like when you or a loved one first get diagnosed with diabetes.  You are nervous.  Not sure what questions to ask or who has the answers to them.  Haven't learned the diabetes vocabulary.  Not even sure what styles you like - MDI? Glucophage? Pump? Retinopathy? CGM?

After a while you begin to find your footing.  You make close friends in the Diabetes Online Community.  You find organizations like the Blue Heel Society and Type1Rider.

You learn.  You feel safer.  You become more sure of yourself.

And, in the end, your realize that although all who deal with diabetes, in any capacity, are very diverse, we are all very much the same.

So yes.  Blue Heels.  Size 10. Men....

- Tony

BLUE Steps...

With each BLUE shoe we see love.

With each BLUE shoe we see our dreams coming true.

With each BLUE shoe we feel our community coming closer.

With each BLUE shoe the outside world sees we mean business.

With each BLUE shoe another low blood sugar is treated.

With each BLUE shoe another high is bolused.

With each BLUE shoe another child is diagnosed.

With each BLUE shoe another life is lost.

BLUE shoes represent all of us. Type 1 or 2. Children and adults. But those living, loving and dealing with Diabetes.

With each BLUE shoe we take another BLUE step towards awareness, support, and a world where those we loved are NOT judged for living with this disease.

I take a step in my BLUE shoe.....so that YOU can move forward too.

Who will you wear BLUE shoes for?