"Do you have a secret that makes you so productive?
Want to know my secret? BIC.
That’s right. BIC. Butt in chair. There is no other single thing that will help you more to become a writer."
-Jane Yolen
As a writer who hopes to one day have her own book published, the most important thing I can do is to write, a task which entails applying my butt to the chair, according to the grand dame of children's literature, Jane Yolen. Often for an hour or more each day. The same can be said for artists, although I must admit, many do stand as they paint. The arts I love mean using your mind and your memory as well as your imagination more than your body.
This is great for my writing and my art; not so great for my physique or my diabetes 2 which I've been battling hard this summer. A few months ago, my blood sugar was spiraling out of control and I was, well, chubbed out. According to all the recommendations for women my size, I was within the normal weight range but I was not happy. I had love handles, felt sluggish and tired and my usual size 4 was getting harder and harder to squeeze into. Something had to be done about it. And soon.
I did some research on the internet and found Dr. Fuhrman's website. Fuhrman is a family MD who specializes in nutrition and disease reversal. According to him, I just might be able to reverse - or improve - my diabetes. So I began following a vegan diet and exercising vigorously 5 days a week. To most people, a vegan diet sounds extreme. In actuality, it's amazingly diverse. Over the course of any given day, I often eat as many as 20 different kinds of foods. For exercise, I either run for half an hour or ride my bike for an hour or longer. The weight came off. Since the third week in July, I have dropped 17 pounds and gone down a size or two. My blood sugar has plummeted and I no longer take as much medication to control it.
My writing and art? I'm still at it. I've learned to apply the same philosophy to my life as I applied to my library when building a collection. Balance. As a writer, an artist, and a diabetic, I need to balance the needs of my body with the needs of my soul otherwise, I may not be around long enough to see any book published.
