Zen and the Art of Diabetes Maintenance: A Spiritual Toolkit for a Better Life

I don't have diabetes and I loved this book! Charles Creekmore writes with such honesty and wit that every chapter is a delight. He offers wise counsel with charming humility, and even when I'd "been there before," I found myself mentally thanking the author for reminding me how to get back on the road to mental, spiritual, and physical health. Buy this book for yourself AND for someone else you love!

Charles Creekmore has lived in many parts of the world, and in this book, he invites us along on his travels - not only from state to state, but through his ever-changing states of mind as he learns to live (and thrive) with diabetes.The diagnosis of a chronic illness can be a tremendously demoralizing event. But as Creekmore discovered, it might be the exact impetus we need to improve the state of our soul, and how it relates to our daily lives. Being forced to reexamine our priorities, the way we earn a living, the basis of our self-esteem, our relationship with nature, and all the unhealthy little habits our bodies and minds have learned over the years - this can be the "silver lining" of illness. And what's more, this increase in spirituality can, in turn, improve the health of the body (as illustrated by Creekmore's interviews with patients and doctors).Spirituality means different things to different people and, in spite of the title, this book is not overly biased toward any one philosophy or religion. Never preachy, it simply encourages you to try some new (or new-to-you) strategies for lightening the burden of diabetes, or any other chronic illness. ( I highly recommend "The Grand Silence" - I've found that earplugs can have a huge effect on my level of stress!) All of us will have to face change and loss sometime in our lives, and this "maintenance manual" can help anyone do that with a little more strength.

Published by the American Diabetes Association, Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance: A Spiritual Toolkit For A Better Life is a personal, emphatic testimony of the spiritual side to maintaining one's body and health when confronted by the disease of adult diabetes. From managing one's emotions rather than being ruled by them, to accepting that diabetes is not the end but an eminently treatable condition and that life is worth celebrating, Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance is a superb presentation written with humor, flair, and abiding spirituality. Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance is very highly recommended for anyone having to deal with adult diabetes in themselves or a loved one.

I enjoyed this book in the way that one enjoys anything spoken from the heart, especially when it is spoken well and it reveals hard earned wisdom as is the case here.In learning he had type 2 diabetes at the age of 50 in 1996, Charles Creekmore felt he had just been smacked with the "sweet kiss of death." However, he shows us how that slap turned out to be the wakeup call he had long needed to appreciate the sweetness of life. Prior to the diagnosis, he had been able to run from nagging issues of commitment, discipline, spirit and meaning. Dubbed "The Freelancer" by a former father-in-law, he admits the description fit well, not just because he was a freelance writer but because he was a freelancer in every way, short on commitment and long on escape routes. But he couldn't run from diabetes and in learning how to manage the disease, he learned how to straighten out the rest of his life as well.As the author states early in the book: "Managing my blood sugar has really become a symbol for managing my emotions, managing my spirituality, managing my meaningfulness, managing my philosophy, managing my creativity. These are the elements of diabetes I want to convey to you."But before one learns to manage well, one must want to manage and, while fear of deadly complications from mismanagement catches one's attention, optimism and faith are needed to make it all bearable. Becoming upbeat in the face of the daily grind of diabetes management is obviously no easy task, but Creekmore made me smile as he told of his "shambling toward Canaan". In this unintended journey of the soul, he pieced together insights and practices into a workable plan to raise his spirits while controlling his blood sugar level. His quirky references, well turned phrases and self-deprecating wit add a light touch to a heavy subject and lifted my own spirit as I read on.A newly diagnosed diabetic needs to find a way to increase optimism and faith at exactly the worst possible moment, at a time when the bad news plunges one's soul into despair. Creekmore's tale, along with the stories he tells of other diabetics, provide encouraging examples of how people have not only endured the struggle but have come to see themselves better off for having been forced to fight the fight.The book shows how the scourge of diabetes can teach a profoundly moving lesson about the need for consistent self-management of soul as well as body if one is to live a good life. While diabetics must learn this lesson to survive, it seems a vital lesson for just about anybody, and one well taught in this book.

This book will help to calm the nerves of any newly diagnosed diabetic and give new information to those not so new to the disease. It's good advice said in a plain and friendly way. I find it to be a great reference book which can head you, with a gentle push and good humor, in the right direction of looking at the emotional changes brought on by the diagnosis of a chronic illness. Diabetes can almost be used as a metaphor because the message of this book could be applied to many things that ail us. Charles Creekmore has given us some information we should take a good look at and he has done it with a graceful touch.