Before the start of the school year, Charlie took a "Mr. Smarty Pants" test at the recommendation of the guidance counselor.  The test was to determine whether or not he was fit for advanced classes.

He didn't pass. The test was split in two parts - the first part consisting of difficult puzzles to solve and the other being common sense type questions.  He aced the puzzle part. Not only that, the guidance counselor told Susanne that he solved the puzzles faster than anyone in recent memory. However, when asked what he would do if he saw that his neighbor's house was on fire, he stumbled.

"Get low on the floor."

I'm just glad he didn't say, "Get some marshmallows."

Charlie was indeed disappointed, but the guidance counselor had some very encouraging things to say. She was extremely impressed with how Charlie seemed to effortlessly solve the puzzles. She said something that has stuck with me for some time now.

"Charlie is extraordinary in the abstract."

The more I thought about the statement, the more I thought about how it could be applied to diabetes.

Abstract: Not easy to understand because of being extremely complex; remote from concrete reality; abstruse.

The 16-year-old girl carefully calculating carbs at her junior prom while her friends shovel chips in their mouths and jet back onto the dance floor; A type 1 mail carrier taking a seat on a porch until the effect of hypoglycemia wanes; A surgeon crashing low at the worst possible moment; A 10-year-old boy sipping Gatorade and missing his ice hockey shift or his baseball "at bat"; A college freshman noticing blood in her tubing during a lecture; A kindergarten teacher trying her best to be patient with her students despite riding high all morning; An NFL quarterback trying to spark a fourth-quarter comeback with the weight of a city on his shoulders; A type 1 bride trying her best to conceal her medical machinery for at least one special day; A mom-to-be doing everything possible to keep herself and her baby healthy; every single exhausted parent of a child with type 1 diabetes praying to the gods of blood sugar in the wee hours of the night; those with more than one child with diabetes; passionate type 1s making a difference in the community; An Amazing Racer; An inspirational Olympian; A type 1 to the rescue; And those of you giving us hope ...

You are all extraordinary in the abstract.