Happy New Year, dear readers!
This week, I am thankful:
for a fresh new glasses prescription
I had an eye checkup and it confirmed what I thought; that my current prescription wasn’t quite right for me anymore.
I’m not delighted my eyesight got worse (!), but I am happy at the prospect of seeing better!
I am also grateful that my up-close vision hasn’t deteriorated enough to call for bifocals or progressive lenses.
that next year I probably will have vision insurance
I’m insurance-less on the eye front this year, but I’m guessing I can get vision coverage once I am on the hospital insurance plans.
So, next year’s eye appointment should be cheaper!
that I didn’t have to pay for a dry-eye treatment
You know that Meibomian gland problem that I have? Where they get clogged up and then can’t secrete the lubricating fluid that keeps my eyes from drying out?
Well, this year when I went in for my eye checkup, he said mine weren’t clogged! Yay!
That means I didn’t have to pay for the $150+ heat treatment that unclogs them.
I’ve been using my heated eye mask and also this spray that my doctor recommended. And obviously, it’s working.
I’m thrilled!
And I’m motivated to keep on using my mask and my eyelid spray.
for good health
Working at the hospital really makes me so appreciative of the gift of general good health.
I see people with circulation issues, breathing difficulties, skin problems, mobility challenges, digestive malfunctions and much more, and it makes me appreciate what I’ve got.
This picture is from the archives, back when we were still using cloth masks
My heart works! My lungs work! My digestive tract works from start to finish. I don’t have edema. I have no areas of skin breakdown. My blood circulation is sufficient all over my body.
Amazing!
I’m grateful my job gives me the gift of extra appreciation for how my body works.
for everyone being gracious about the glitches yesterday
I figured something would go wonky with the Patreon, and it did. Ha. Someone more professional than me would have figured this out before publishing it, but here we are. 😉
I am also grateful for a lovely and responsive web hosting company because I am positive that once they open back up for business today, they will help me figure out what the problem is and get it fixed.
for the refreshing break from nursing school
I do have a big ol’ pile of assigned reading/med cards to get done before school starts in a few weeks, but I decided to not think about that too hard over the holidays.
(Me: “Prework? What pre-work? I SEE NOTHING.”)
I do feel the burnout subsiding, so I think in another week or so I will be ready to dive in and tackle the pre-work.
And I’m hoping that the restful feeling from winter break will carry me at least a little ways through the semester.
that it’s (hopefully) my last semester doing competency and math testing
As long as all goes to plan, this is my last semester of having to face the “hell week”, as they call it, at the start of the semester.
We have orientation, lectures, competency testing (to test all your clinical skills), and the do-or-die math exam all in the first four days.
Sooooo, I’ll start practicing my head to toe exam and all my other skills over the next few weeks, and I’ll do some math practice as well.
If they try to get me with one of those teaspoon questions again, I’m gonna be ready!
(Last semester, I totally missed that they wanted one answer converted to teaspoons, so I gave the correct mLs but got it wrong because it wasn’t in teaspoons. And the terrible part is that I am actually very good at converting from mLs to teaspoons. Ha.)
Katleen
Thursday 9th of January 2025
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for the link to the heat mask. I will definitely look into that.
I woke up last Sunday with a swollen eye, but thought "hey, that will pass". Monday was my first day back at work, and guess what, it had not passed, on the contrary, I could barely see from my right eye! I consulted my pharmacist and she thought it looked like an allergic reaction, but she advised me to see an optometrist.
So that was the day I learned about a new body part, the Meibomian glands, and that they can get blocked. I am now on a treatment of ophtalmological cream and heat applications to get it unclogged.
This week, I am grateful for good eyes. I am 49, only started wearing reading glasses 6 months ago and this is my first eye emergency.
Happy New Year!
Kristina
Thursday 2nd of January 2025
Happy new year! 1) I am thankful for the earlier conversation about minimalism cf. hoarding, an interesting topic especially for this community. It is so helpful to think about the big picture of our practices. 2) This year I am thankful for freedom from pressure to Decorate for the holidays. We had an expensive and exhausting trip for a family Thanksgiving, and I kept it very simple for Christmas. Worked great. My mother would have been horrified, but she's gone now. 3) I am thankful for the gorgeous yarn I bought during the T trip, and the pleasure it will give me as I knit in the winter months. 4) I am thankful for the gentle expertise of my nurse practitioner, who expertly diagnosed my burned thumb and prescribed antibiotic ointment. It is already much better. Be careful with hot pans in the kitchen. 5) And for good planning skills in the kitchen. We have hosted several dinners, enjoyed excellent meals at home, including celebrating DH's birthday, with virtually no waste.
Anita Isaac
Thursday 2nd of January 2025
i am thankful that i was able to visit my two teenagers nanny who worked with us from the time my 13 year old son was 2 years old, until Covid. she is in the hospital with a mass in her kidney. i would like to request prayers for her and i say thank you.
also thankful for the hubby. he does a ton of housework and helps our kids with their homework. the only thing i could do was help them with their bar/bat mitzvah studies and spanish. i can also do some help with writing. but he does the heavy duty math and science. if it doesn't involve managing $, i am clueless.
Jean C
Thursday 2nd of January 2025
Thankful that we continue to make (slow but steady) progress on ground level cleanup from October hurricanes. I needed quiet time and a slower pace after extended and more intense caregiving this past summer/fall. So this time period of focused clean up does have some upsides and I am grateful for that. We are lucky to not have as much damage or loss as many.
Grateful that a friend’s exploratory surgery today resulted in a positive outcome.
Yesterday I enjoyed (really truly) a day organizing and inventorying our cleaning supplies, OTC meds and took down all the Christmas decor - feels good to know what we have and where it is.
Grateful for all I learn from all of you.
Katy @ Practical Walk
Thursday 2nd of January 2025
- Like you, I'm also very grateful for good health and a well-working body! - To be in a warm climate...yesterday I was outside in a tank top...it was a little chilly when I wasn't moving, but still love it! - For meeting new people in our community. - For the truths of God's Word that stand firm, even when my feelings don't.