Monday, January 5, 2009

Yes, I'm Slack, Okay?

Yeah, I know...It's been over a month since I've posted anything out here. I've been busy, busy, busy...

THE FACE...
First it was my face, which had a cyst (quite a large one, I might add) that had to be removed...again. Those of you that know me know that it was removed once in March, then I had to go back a second time in March because he didn't get it all, so they attacked it again. Then after several follow-ups at the derm's office, here in Goldsboro, they decided it had come back and needed to be removed again. In July. Went back for a few more follow ups. Still didn't get it all, so I saw a surgeon in October who was sweet, but wouldn't touch my face with a ten-foot scalpel, so I got a referral to be seen by a plastic surgeon in Greenville in December. On the fifth of that month I had surgery for the fourth time. And to say he laid my cheek wide open was an understatement. Good that he gave me post-op drugs. God knows I needed them! Went back on the 12th to have the stitches removed, and was scheduled for the final (yeah, right) follow-up today. Last week my cheek swelled up, felt bruised and then did some things I don't guess y'all want to read about, but needless to say I figured that the perCYSTent thing had come back with a vengance. Turns out (I find out today) that the self-disolving stitches are not my face's best friend, and now I've got an infection. But I'm cool with that...I really thought surgery #5 was on the horizon. An infection is the BEST possible news I could have gotten. So, anyway...the next thing on my agenda has been....

THE DAY JOB
As many of you know, I work at the local hospital. The Joint Commission has re-organized something called, "The Environment of Care" which is a major-big deal for accredited facilities such as the one I work for. At any rate, almost 100 policies had to be reformatted and submitted to Senior Management for review and that has taken up most of my 40+ hours weekly at the day job. Soooo, when I come home, I'm fragged to say the least.

TECHNOLOGY
This actually forced me to unplug for the better part of the week after Christmas. After being inundated with an ungodly amount of spam, and typing policies, and receiving an unnatural amount of text messages I finally just got a clue and didn't check email, Facebook, MySpace, the web site, etc., etc. I finally just stopped and took a few days off from everything.

All of the above made me reflect and set some resolutions for the new year. Read on:
  1. Under-promise and over-deliver: Translation? Instead of trying to do and be everything for everyone all the time, make fewer promises, and then give more than expected. That way, if time constraints limit you, you haven't bitten off more than you can chew, and even if you only deliver what you promised, you've still met your commitment. (I think of this one specifically for all the fund-raising I have a tendency to do. I'm only one person, therefore, I cannot single-handedly coordinate the Arts & Crafts Auction for Relay for Life, and the whatever else needs to be done, and the other misc. fundraisers, and United Way, etc., etc.) Also create a BALANCE for giving and taking. If you give too much and take too little, you burn out. If you take too much and give too little, well, that's just greedy. Everything in moderation and balance.
  2. Family first! (Ok, family first AFTER God...but I have secular friends, too, LOL) I'm finding that if I take the time to do the fun things with the family, I come out of it with a little less time on my hands, but am more refreshed and can do more with less time. Seriously, that extra hour of Guitar Hero or bowling is NOT going to kill you financially, I promise!)
  3. Do NOT sweat the small stuff. I'm learning the hard way that stressing out to the point of insomnia over such trivialities as the DDJ, you have nothing left when it comes time to stress over really legitimate things. Case in point? My mom's biopsy came back bad. If I worry about my day job and the ridiculous things all of that encompasses, I will not have the energy to focus on caring for my mom and her emotional needs. What happens at the office stays at the office and if it goes south? Well, then, it will just stay south until 8 a.m. the following business day.
  4. Take care of yourself. Yes, we're busy; we are moms, career women, friends, cooks, housekeepers, homemakers, etc. If we don't take care of our own needs (ohhhh, I dunno, a hot bath, favorite t.v. show, good book, etc.) then we can/will not be able to adequately take care of what is important to us: spouses, children, friends, jobs, etc. This includes eating well and exercising, even if it's just a well balanced snack and a walk around the block.
  5. Always work on bettering yourself. This can be anything from learning a new skill or craft to setting realistic (BITE SIZED) goals for yourself. Otherwise, you stagnate.

Okay, so I guess that is it for now. Do want to thank Brenda for her verbiage on resolution #1. That was more eloquent than anything I could have possibly come up with!

Until next time....