What's your plan?

I hear it all the time. People talk about careers, or house-hunting or the upcoming football season. Any time we embark on some new venture, the question arises. So it seems logical to ask the same question about Diabetes.

When I was a kid, plans were simple. My parents got married, found jobs, bought a house, raised kids. End of plan.

School was pretty much the same. Go to class. Do your homework. Study. (Admittedly, I liked school.  Books and me got along.) I liked it so much, that after graduation, I kept on going. For eight more years. (By then, the appeal was gone.)

We all make plans, every day. Some more complicated than others. Some people draw up elaborate plans. I've read books on the subject. The authors are so super-organized, it sounds impossible. Calendars and journals filled out in explicit detail -- days, weeks and months ahead of time.

Now people put everything in their cell phones. It's all in there.

But how often do plans go awry? Meeting dates change. Appointments need rescheduled. Endless emails back and forth. Sometimes I think people spend twice as much time rearranging their plans, confirming them with others, than it takes to do the actual thing they had "planned" in the first place.

It's okay to change it, they say, so long as you replace one plan with another. (I make mini-plans all day. Most of mine are short term. To get through the next hour, the next day, or next week.)

But too much planning makes me feel stifled. Like I can barely breathe. There's no room to take a walk, or play with your dog, or visit a friend. No time to relax. We're not supposed to live that way.

I try to be flexible (sometimes it's not easy, because I don't like surprises). So I'm constantly trying to adapt. Wherever I happen to be, it's all about getting my bearings. Who, What, Why -- and When. When is a biggie. (We all keep track of time.) For me, it's how long until I go home.

Sometimes I wonder. What kind of plan do I need?

Planners act as if they're in control. But they're not. It's an illusion. (Remember Jurassic Park? Classic example.) Things can change any time.

So, I plan to eat right. Been doing that for months already. It's second nature by now.

I plan to check my blood. Ditto. Not my favorite part of the day. It seems so unnatural to make myself bleed on purpose. Holding my breath for five seconds, waiting for that number to appear. High or Low? Bad or Good?

I plan to take my medicine. Twice a day, every day. (The concept of forever still bothers me. But I always said I could live with it.)

Beyond that, I'm not so sure. Should I plan for complications? Should I fret about what lies ahead?

I've never been good at that. My wife is much better. She frets about everything. Every storm, every holiday, every event that's about to happen. We gas up the car. We lay everything out. We dress early. (Usually, we're the first ones to arrrive.)

Diabetes? I'm almost afraid to read much about it. I'd rather live here and now. My "plan'? To get through the day, and pretend that it's not really affecting my life.

Okay. What's yours?