Worn out but still kicking

It’s been quite the week: G’s nail-removal surgery, 1 exam, 2 presentations, and an interview — glad to be on the other side of all of those things!

I started this post before Thanksgiving, when, not surprisingly, my worn-down body caught the first cold of the season.  Let’s just say that part-time job plus [9 credit hour] part-time school plus co-running a household for the past 16 weeks (right on the heels of a very intense month following G’s accident) was more than a bit overwhelming.

I survived, but I’m going to make some changes for the spring semester: reduced hours at my job and getting back into regular meditation practice.  I’ll be taking 10 credit hours, but one of the classes is online, which might make the course-load feel a bit lighter — one can always hope!

So, about that meditation practice . . . .  After almost a year of regular, dedicated mindfulness meditation practice, I fell off the train in a big way following G’s accident, and with the flurry of activity around my return to school, I never got back on board.  I don’t know if this is possible, but I felt like even though I wasn’t making time for formal practice, I benefited from the previous work I’d done, in a sense building up some reserves or buffer, but after 4+ intense months, those reserves are empty.  Time to rebuild that mindfulness muscle!

G’s surgery
We weren’t sure what to expect post-op, so we made the most of the pre-surgery weekend with a family bike ride to view local Christmas lights, a friend’s birthday party, and readying our house for Christmas.

We found the perfect field cedar at Matthew’s grandpa’s, and hauled it home on our little car.  By the end of the day, after only one tree-tipping episode, our not-so-little tree was decked for the holidays.

We arrived at the hospital bright and early on Monday morning to “get those silly nails out,” getting a lovely view of the moon and Venus on the way.  The play area next to G’s same-day surgery prep room kept him calm and distracted from his empty belly until go time.  I accompanied him into the surgical suite and stayed until the anesthetic took effect.  Two hours later, we were headed home, with the hardware in tow — nine-inch titanium nails!

Monday and Tuesday were rough, with some stomach side effects from the anesthesia (somewhat unexpected because he didn’t have issues in August), but by Wednesday morning, this kid was claiming no pain (without drugs) and literally bouncing off the walls.  So, so thankful that this is behind us!

Dietetics coursework
My first of six [part-time] semesters (plus a few summer courses) is now behind me!  Somewhat ironically, my grades matter more in dietetics than they would have if I’d gone the physician assistant route, because getting a dietetic internship (required to become an R.D.) is really competitive.  With the possibility of PA school, I’d tried to start internalizing the idea that I didn’t have to “be the valedictorian” of my PA class.  When I chose dietetics instead, I had to rearrange my plans for mediocrity 😉

Anyhow, the semester went well, and, despite a near-disaster with a group project (I had group projects/presentations in all three of my classes — gah!), I should come out well on the old GPA front.  More importantly, I met some cool people, and my classes exposed me to new information and ideas!

On the bike
The amazing weather for biking continues into December.  After making my 16-mile RT commute three days a week for the past 16 weeks, I am in pretty decent biking-shape.  I only used the car for five of those school commutes, justifying my choice to not by a parking pass.

I may have to ride my commute route a few times over the next four weeks, just so I don’t lose everything I’ve built.  Other than that, I’m looking forward to a little down time to rest and recharge for 2016!