As a person living with chronic health conditions, it isn't hard to remember how life can really be. How short things are, how quickly time flies, and just how important the little things need to be. With the way humanity is, it's easy to let that all pass by without even considering the bigger picture.

So I try my hardest to count the smallest things. The simple joys in life. The blessed moments. The things that make you smile and nod. Even when things seem truly dark, the tiniest moment can change the whole perspective. A slight reminder that life is short, that time is to be cherished, and that you can never have enough fun.

Today, I feel like giving thanks. I was down on Wednesday...just feeling the weight of all my stress. My burden was heavy. But two days of the small things...and I'm lighter and happier.

I spent Thursday with my best friend and cousin. The event was kind of a disaster, but we had a lot of fun despite it all. I'll never forget the hearty laughs and the shared thoughts. Whether I'm sitting in bumper to bumper traffic or watching how alcohol can truly turn some people into idiots, it's the moments in between that will always be with me.

Friday was an all around splendid kind of day. The weather was absolutely perfect for me. I'm a "cool" weather kind of girl. I don't particularly care for the extremes. Give me the 60s and 70s, whether rain or shine, and I'm game. Spring weather makes me feel alive. Even though fall is my favorite season...you get the weather on top of football games, the smell of leaves, and the amazing Texas thunderstorms that pop up so randomly.

I spent part of the day with my mom. A kind of day that we haven't had in awhile between our busy schedules. We ran errands together, sat on the patio, went shopping. All our favorite things. Mixed with deep conversation that rejuvenates you from the inside out.

And during all that, I couldn't help be truly excited. My shopping experience was pretty fantastic. I'd been eyeing a dress for several months. A celebratory gift to myself for going on, staying on, and now finishing Accutane. A coming out dress, if you will. It was too expensive when I first saw it, so I put off buying it.

Then it disappeared. I checked two different malls, but no luck. I thought I'd missed out.  But Friday, I found it. In my size. And it fit, almost perfectly. So I bought it. For $10. Regularly priced at $90. Talk about an amazingly small moment that has me wanting to leap for joy.

All the shopping and excitement kept my blood sugar at a perfect 99. A bowl of chili and a salad later...I was only 114. It's the perfect backdrop to the day. The small numbers that add up over time, that restore your diabetic soul.

Diabetes and health can be so overwhelming. At any second, things can shift. You can be standing strong when a sudden low hits you out of nowhere. Or you think you're okay when you realize that you're quickly soaring into the 200s. The things that can make or break you.

So on days like this, it's especially nice to know that diabetes wasn't getting in the way. I may have woken up dehydrated from a night of highs, but my body bounced back and left me stable for hours on end. And that simple backdrop was vital to the small moments of bliss.

Unfortunately, it can be so easy to forget when things do go right with these diseases. When you run steady or a medication works without side effects...it's not the first thing we think of when we consider diabetes or PCOS or any other condition. We all too often go for the horrible lows and excruciating highs.

Myself certainly included. I'm just realizing in these past few months how important it is to rejoice on these days though. To count the losses, but to readily count the wins as well. To know that the dark days will pass and eventually you'll see a day of stable numbers and excellent sale prices.