What is a miracle? People wish, pray, ask for them all the time. It sounds like something that happens to you, that you really don’t have any control over. It’s like you’re at the mercy of something or someone else and that there’s no real way to be active in the process. I bring this up because most of us with a chronic illness do not wish to have one and often wish for a miracle--that we might feel better or be healed. I recently read miracles defined in way I had never heard before. Marianne Williamson talks about miracles as a shift in perception from fear to love. What does this mean in terms of a chronic illness? For me, this means seeing my diabetes in a completely new and radical way. Instead of something that is tiring me out, beating me down and, more or less, trying to kill me (all fear-based ideas), I had to re-examine my relationship with my diabetes. This was not easy. At all. And if you ask me, this is a miracle. With everything that diabetes entails (the attention, thanklessness, and no vacations allotted), you better believe that shifting my perspective was a ridiculous miracle. In order for me to figure our this new perspective, I actually had to draw this relationship between me and my diabetes, and do you know what? Much to my surprise, diabetes wasn't a huge monster with teeth eating cookies and screaming at everyone ("Eat all the things!"). It was before, for sure, but I've done a lot of work on this and I eventually figured out that perspective was draining and not at all helpful (because let's be honest--who wants a testy, ravenous behemoth around?). When I draw it now, diabetes is a little girl who needs me to care for her. She is small and scared at times, and she needs me to love her. Whether this idea is "accurate" or not is irrelevant. The part that counts is that when I think of my diabetes as the little girl, I want to take care of her, and my behavior shifts accordingly, as opposed to the evil monster idea. This shift is a miracle, and it had nothing to do with what is outside of me. In fact, no one could do this but me. I decided that my previous notion of diabetes was not serving me so I took control of it and changed it. Chronic illness can be overwhelming, particularly when depression and anxiety are involved, and sometimes we need support. I help people rediscover hope and if you find yourself struggling, I encourage you to reach out.