Thankful Thursday | not wrecked
This week, I am thankful:
that I didn't feel wrecked after my shifts
A lot of times, I feel kind of wiped out for 24 hours after I clock out from a string of three shifts.
But I worked five 12-hour shifts in six days, and oddly, I felt great on my first day off, which was yesterday.
I have no idea why this happened, but I will take it!
(Maybe my iron supplementation kicked in? Maybe it's that I've been faithful about wearing compression socks lately? Maybe I'm just getting used to this nurse life?)
for how much compression socks help
I was a little hit or miss with wearing them at first, but I have been wearing them basically every work shift recently because they doooooo help.
My feet and lower legs hurt way less when I wear the socks, and my feet are not at all swollen after a shift. Amazing!
(Mine are nothing fancy: I have one pair from Amazon, and two pairs from a local scrub store that was closing.)
that I love my job so much
I love the work I do, I love my coworkers, I love meeting all my interesting patients, I love that I am challenged and that I learn so many things every day...and I know I am so lucky to feel this way about my job.
for the joy of having my own place
I don't use Waze that often, and when I opened it up recently, I realized the "home" was still set to my old house.
I set it for where I now live, and when I saw the little house icon pop up on the screen, in my current neighborhood, with the "Home" label, my heart felt a little burst of happiness.
I don't own the house, but this is my home now, not the other place. This is my life now, not that other life.
I never, ever have to go back to that house, to that life, and I am endlessly grateful.
for spring blossoms
Things are getting beautiful out there!
for all the sunshine
The sun was out allllll day yesterday for my first day off from work, and I appreciated it!
that it's not entirely dark when I get home from work
Look! It's not pitch black when I get out of my car now!
for a funny pear
She looks a little disappointed with life.
Maybe she needs to make a thankfulness list. 😉
I love the pear! She looks a little prickly 😉
Thankfuls:
1. I had a wonderful week at home with my parents. We went for walks in the countryside, watched films, played boardgames and enjoyed hanging out in general. I also got to look after my sister's cat which was a lot of fun (apart from the early calls for breakfast and the time she brought in a mouse) and reminded me of how much I want to get my own kitty soon. My sister and her boyfriend came over for Easter after they got back from their vacation and we also celebrated my dad's birthday 🙂
2. I also got to see some friends and had fun going to a pub and spontaneously doing the pub quiz.
3. My flight back was delayed...not thankful for that, but at least I had a relaxed morning the next day before going to work in the afternoon. I went for a walk with a colleague after work yesterday and we enjoyed the sunshine in the park.
4. I went to the gym yesterday, despite not really feeling like it, and went up to the next set of dumbbell weights! I can lift 9kg now (not sure what that is in lbs). After the gym I went for a lovely swim in the sea.
5. The new series The Testaments (the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale) came out yesterday which I'd been looking forward to for months. It did not disappoint and, while it's a chilling watch, it was fantastic with some very apt lines about our current society. I can't wait for next week's episode!
Love the pear! I tend to avoid mirrors, but I imagine that’s how my “do you know what, I’m just gonna let that slide” face looks.
Thankfuls:
--For the opportunity to catch up with my friend yesterday. Bonus that she's the preschool teacher and I was subbing for her assistant yesterday and the two hours I was there were mostly free play/recess times. This meant I also got paid while we talked. 🙂 (With many interruptions, because it's a preschool, but still.)
--For friendships in general that I have formed here. This is the first place in my adult life that I really have made friends. It's not something I've ever been very good at--or, to be frank, ever tried much with--and I don't know if it's my phase of life, change in circumstances, this particular community, or what, but it's nice.
--For the fresh flowers in my house. I made four separate arrangements of the flowers that I didn't want to put on the altar because their colors didn't work well, but they're making me happy all over my house. This is the only time I buy fresh flowers (otherwise they're either from my garden or the roadsides), and I'm enjoying them very much.
--For the cream in my coffee. Lent is over, Christ is risen, and my self-imposed black coffee penance has ended. Alleluia, indeed.
--For a good meeting with school staff during which they basically said yeah, your son doesn't qualify for official services in this one area, but we'll find ways to help him anyway.
--That he didn't qualify. He's not deficient in anything, just sort of low average in one thing that he really doesn't care about. But he's so far above average in other things that this one thing was much more frustrating to him. Now I can tell him with certainty that there is no reason he can't do this, he just has to work harder at it than other things. Maybe it will give him the motivation.
If it isn't too personal a question (and if it is, please ignore), was there a reason you didn't try and make friends? I didn't have many friends when I was younger, although I did try - and looking back as an adult, I can see that being undiagnosed autistic was a large factor as I was socially awkward. I still feel socially awkward and don't always get 'invisible rules', so to speak, but I have a lot of friends now. Either way, I'm glad you have friends now 🙂
Short answer is I didn't want to. Longer answer is that I only have so much energy for talking/emotional connection/the attention that has to be paid to personal relationships, and pretty much all of it was used for my family as I had four children in ten years. Friendships are secondary to that, for me. Also, I grew up in a military family and was pretty used to leaving friends behind, so it didn't really feel strange to me to not have close friends. I didn't really feel a lack. Growing up, my family was always my constant, not my friends, and it's still that way now. I didn't really seek out the friends I have now so much as kind of grow into friendships over years of shared experiences. And now with older children, I have more energy (and time!) for friendships.
That makes sense. On the flip side, I've never felt a need to have kids (although I am open to it) because I know how time and energy that will take, and I like reserving that for my friends, immediate family and myself. I really appreciate my space! If I spend a day with friends I always need a day to myself to recharge my social batteries. Thanks for answering!
Reading about how happy you are in your new life makes me happy and I am very thankful. I'm thankful for the warmer weather we've been getting. The sun feels so good.
I think the pear and I are feeling much the same way.
I am struggling to be thankful today, so this will be a good exercise!
I am thankful for:
The times when the pain in my lower body lessens, and I can sleep and get around.
That I was able to resolve an eBay problem and square things with my buyer.
That I have a full pantry, fridge and freezer.
That I don't have to go anywhere today. My grandson is playing volleyball, but it's an away game, and he has already told me not to bother with those.
That my future dog-sitting job was cancelled, because I was worried about how spry I was going to be. Even though it's a loss of income.
That it's that lovely time of year when neither the heat nor the air conditioning is necessary.
I’m very thankful for the generous PTO at my job and the support of my supervisors to use it without question. I’ve been focusing on my physical and mental health this year, and the ability to use paid leave for doctors appointments and time off to rest/relax has been so valuable.
This week I am thankful:
*that it will be warmer tomorrow.
*that my kids' soccer coach seems competent. That I connected with another mom at the game.
*for healthy food to eat.
*for the growing things.
*for Easter. For our simple Easter.
*that high school senior boy is getting some things wrapped up. Between flight lessons, high school work, two jobs, and figuring out college stuff, he's had so much on his plate. College senior boy has a lot to do before graduation, so I'm praying for these to ease up for him, too.
*that my husband has the opportunity for a day off today. We'll see how many church-related phone calls and texts he gets today.
Cute pear!
Thankful for:
-Beautiful spring days. And it’s getting daylight a little earlier which I love because I dislike getting up when it’s dark.
-“Yellow pollen” season is finally done, and we spent hours deep cleaning our screened porch and have it ready for use. (Loblolly pines in our area cause a huge amount of pollen…. As in everyone drives yellow cars in the spring….and lasts 4-6 weeks)
-My seasonal allergies have cleared.
-We finally got our shed cleaned out and reorganized. Bonus is quite a few tubs of “stuff” and some furniture to add to our daughter’s yard sale.
-We got some small painting projects that had been put off finished.
Amen to compression socks! I’ve worn them faithfully for 25 years due to varicose veins & can attest to the difference it makes in how my legs feel. I’m not a candidate for vein ablation so this is a vital support. It’s surprising that the idea of wearing “compression socks is part of a nurse’s uniform” wasn’t advocated in nursing school. Give every graduate a pair!
Hats off to you that you can work those shifts and still be chipper!
I've been too busy lately and I think my recent exzema outbreak may be related to stress. I've slept only little for several nights and as a result I am sore all over, and grumpy. I think I may have taken out my grumpiness on AI yesterday :-s
Thankfuls:
For a few lovely sunny days and spring flowers everywhere;
The joy of reading Reading Lessons. My To be read list is longer again as a result, however;
Becoming empty nesters. It is a joy to see one's child spreading their wings. And in all honesty, it is good for husband and I to have time and energy to spend on ourselves, and have a lull in caring responsibilities. The combined responsibilities for parents, children, sibling and work has taken its toll. I feel in need of a break now and be carefree, for as long as it lasts. I know there will be new caring needs on the horizon, perhaps sooner that we'd like to think.
I know it pales in comparison to allllllllllll the other facets but I'm also glad for you that "home" is not a split foyer. Just another little blessing.