Vacation Victories

Six days into my vacation and I’m truly feeling relaxed.  I’ll even forgive the crazy bird that continues to visit us at night.  Last night, I woke up and decided to fix a cup of coffee before I looked at the clock.  It was 1:30am. I stumbled back to bed but not before making a note to buy earplugs today. But no worries…I can still take my nap today so all if right with the world.

This has been the first week for two months that I was not prepping for teaching classes the following week or doing nursing research for a textbook that I’m helping to update. Now…the prepping and research are both valued parts of my job, but I needed a week that was not studying the function of skin, the kidneys and the heart or determining how many older adults have depression. I can tell you that you truly need your skin, kidneys, and heart for a variety of reasons and too many older adults are either undertreated or overtreated for their mental health issues. There you have it…class dismissed.

Eric continues to heal and I am getting ample opportunity to use my nursing skills. I had a few jealous moments wondering why I couldn’t be the sick one that gets four weeks off of work.  This all changed the moment I had to load gauze not on…but inside…his abdominal incision. My husband is a rock – twice a day we change his dressings and repack the openings in his incision. He takes it like a champ and even thanks me afterward. I’ve regained my gratitude for my health. It does not look fun being on the receiving side.

I have had fun, however, working on a few projects that have taken up residence in the back recesses of my mind, that same area that holds names of people I see infrequently and information on how to pack wounds. I have finished a few of the projects and am floundering on a few others.

1. I tossed out all of the lidless plastic ware and organized the remaining keepers by size and lids. I’ll start with this one since I felt victorious for actually throwing out the lidless containers – I am typically a hardcore optimist that believes that the lids are just hiding and will show themselves when they realize that I quit looking.
2. I finished a booklet of poems that had been swirling around in my head for a month; until of course, I read them again and feel the need to rewrite all of them.
3. I have started and stopped a project that I want to do for my soon-to-be-born grandson’s baby shower. (Did I mention that I am going to be a grandma? If I haven’t, you obviously have not been in any close proximity to me since I find ways to bring it up in almost every conversation!  It’s not hard.  “Yes…work is going well…did I mention I’m having a grandchild?”  Completely natural transition.) My grandson’s name is Zander and his shower has a theme of Zander’s Zoo. I wanted to do a Shel Silverstein type book for the shower.   The Giving Tree was a family favorite.  I’m hit by the fact that I have limited artistic ability, however, other than a cartoon lion that I used to draw as a teenager.  No fear, however. I’m determined. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just head to the Zoo and take a lot of pictures.
4. I have actually started walking the dogs. This has surprised everyone in the household, especially the dogs.  I’m the feeder – Eric is the walker. The dogs continue to look back at me in disbelief, I’m sure wondering if I am walking them just so I can leave them somewhere.
5. I have put my closet back into it’s organized state by color and size. My friend, Loree, helped me organize it originally six months ago. Now if she stops by, I don’t have to run and shut my bedroom door.
6. I have used my 20-pound kettlebell daily to work out my arms, rear end and thighs. My abdomen continues to avoid any physical exertion. I believe it is because my abdominal muscles are actually in hiding with the missing lids. They are obviously not where they are supposed to be because my abdomen is the consistency of silly putty.  I’ll continue to work on this one. Those muscles have to be around here somewhere.

So that’s the list of accomplishments from my vacation. A few more days to go. I’m seeing this as practice for retirement, which cannot come soon enough. Five more years and this could become my life. Although, maybe in five years, Eric will have an intact abdomen and I will have located my abdominal muscles. More goals for my next vacation!