g.d.

I remember being a kid and my aunt, who didn't want to get chewed out for cussing in front of me and my siblings, using "g.d." as shorthand for a certain sacreligious expletive. As a rule I try to avoid profanity, expecially now that I have a child of my own (though I've been caught from time to time when I burn my hand on the cast-iron wood stove or in other similarly painful circumstances).

Certainly those two letters stand for a lot of good things such as garbage day (today, thank goodness), generic drugs, Gerber daisies (like the lovely pink specimen above), Golden Dynasty (a great little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in Seattle that Jim and I used to frequent), glazed donuts, Gunga Din, and great danes. They also stand for a few things which I could take or leave (depending on the day): the Grateful Dead, Green Day, grand dames, Gadolinium (chemical symbol: Gd), Gérard Depardieu, and Geena Davis. Of course, a few "g.d." things are never a good idea: the Great Depression, gastrointestinal distress, genetic determinism, global domination, gold diggers... and gestational diabetes.

However, after learning how to use my glucose meter, meeting with a diabetes training nurse, and having my consultation with a dietician, I'm starting to see that this is a unique opportunity to make some changes I've been wanting to make for a long time. And (dare I say it) I'm starting to feel cautiously hopeful that what I initially dreaded will actually be a catalyst for permanent change. That makes this a very good day!