The beauty of waiting.

In September last year I found out that I was a Type 2 Diabetic. It was an answer to why I had been feeling so lethargic and out of sorts for such a long time - but it meant a whole shift in my outlook towards life as well.  To be honest I had already made some huge changes in my diet and health, and had lost a lot of weight - which was why I was wondering why I had suddenly become so easily tired and wasted - so my post-diagnosis lifestyle didn't have to change too much.

What did change though was my mindset. My attitude towards food and exercise changed. Food became a source of proper energy but also a cause of illness if it was treated wrong, exercise became a necessity.

I had a check up yesterday and for the last three months my average blood sugar level has been 5.8.  All my other levels have normalised as well, and though yes I am on some medication at the moment I feel that choices I have made are what have made the difference.

My choice has been to try and cut refined sugar from my diet as much as possible - however as a little reward for the good results I treated myself to a Krispy Kreme donut.  Now I can't remember the last time I ate a donut, let alone those magical Krispy Kreme ones, and as I bit into that caramel glazed goodness my mind forced me to slow down, to really enjoy it - and I must say that I did... it was fantastic!

It made me reflect that as a generation these days in Australia we live in a pleasure expecting, no waiting society.  'Special treats' are a thing of the past, anything we could possibly want is accessible to us right now - even if we can't pay for it we can simply put it on credit or take out an instant personal loan.  The idea of waiting, or anticipating, or working towards is being lost on our generation today.

I can remember when the only way you could get a Krispy Kreme donut in Queensland was if you or a friend was flying back from the Sydney Airport.  Where I worked there was an expectation that if you did a trip to Sydney you would bring back a box of Krispy Kremes to share - I can remember waiting in anticipation for people to come in knowing they would be bringing with them these amazing treats.  These days we have stores in a few places with a full range of Krispy Kremes, but you can also get a fix at any 7Eleven store all over the state.  The special-ness had worn off, that was until in my changed mindset I had not even thought to have a donut for months and months.  As I was driving to the coast yesterday afternoon I saw a store location and thought "I will have a special treat" - and can I say that I don't think I have enjoyed a donut more!

Our 'here and now' generation is becoming expectant, demanding, unthankful and desensitised. And because of that I think we're missing out on the enjoyment of waiting, or really earning something, or even just ungrateful for things that should just be a treat.

I know it was just a silly donut, but it made me think that we should take stock of our lives, what are our needs? What can we do without? What can we enjoy more in smaller doses or as a special treat? What do we need to wait for, or work towards earning?  If you can't afford it now, don't just go get a loan, set a goal and work towards it - I can assure you that you will enjoy it more when you finally get it.  Same with the things we don't always need - if we gorge ourself on pleasure all the time then we lose the ability to enjoy it at all.