April 4, 2022
I wake early in the morning for a bathroom break, and floss and brush my teeth. I skipped the night before and am a month past my 6-month teeth cleaning schedule. I need to get that scheduled. I avoid glancing at the phone in an attempt to go back to sleep quickly to no avail. I am awake, resting, but awake.
The Alexa alarm goes off at 5:30. I am too tired to get up. My husband uses this time to shower, have coffee, and watch the news until he goes to the house at 7:00 to watch our grandbaby. The house is about a minute walk from here. I hear the news…Putin, his war on Ukraine, and the despicable horrors he’s committing. It’s hard to fathom and heart wrenching to know that the entire world can know this is wrong and yet the war can’t be stopped.
I stay in bed until just a bit before 7:00 and after a quick bathroom break start my work day. I work in my “home office”. We built living space in our kids’ pole barn. It has all the amenities of a typical home and is small enough to keep neat and tidy easily. We are here for the work week and at our home for long weekends. My office is equipment set on our adjustable table that allows me to sit or stand to work. We added windows and French doors to provide plenty of natural light. At 7:30, I text my husband to let me know when he wants to take a walk. I also have Alexa play a 70s station. We watched a show a couple nights ago that was set in the 70s and the sound track was awesome.
We walk our grandbaby and dogs for a good 30 minutes at about 8:00. The sun is shining and the temperature is pleasant. We talk through numerous topics including our fortunate life, kids, aging parents, vacation planning, a new job opportunity, and our budget while also keeping the roaming dogs close. We walk back to the house and I grab a banana to eat on the way back to the barn house. Once there, I get a jar of peanuts out of the cabinet to munch on, fill my tumbler with water and work. I take a quick shower around 11:00 and note that needs to happen before the work day. My husband texts just before noon, he has a salad for me. I make a quick walk to the house, add an avocado and eat. I grabbed a fresh slice of bread with butter and left to get back to work. I eventually begin to wear down and move to a seated work position and then note I am exhausted and have an important call in 30 minutes. I set my phone alarm for a 20-minute nap and turn on a Calm nap story and I am out. I wake up after 14 minutes, slowly, but I recognize it worked. This is a new success for me, rarely have I been able to take a quick nap. I get back to work.
I rush to leave after a work call to go to the VA for medical records and stop at the end of the drive. I search their hours and they close at 4:00. I am too late and will go tomorrow. I completed a few more work tasks and ended my work day.
The kids plan meals really well and today they planned a minimal work meal so we could all spend more time outside. Yay! While cleaning up after dinner my daughter asked if we had been feeling okay. “Yes, we are well.” She was starting to have symptoms of a cold or something. This would not have been given a moment of thought three years ago.
We all spend time outside getting some yardwork and garden work done and enjoy some family time. Our grandbaby enjoyed exploring the blooming magnolia and found a couple worms. She didn’t hesitate to pick one up. I, of course, had to get a couple pictures and videos which I plan to use to make GIFs. My plan this past weekend was to make a GIF from pictures and videos made while hiking with friends. And, while I didn’t, I do have the pictures and ideas and will make them tomorrow. Too tired to do this today.
I rode the Onewheel for a while after the kids had gone inside to get the grandbaby ready for bed, and my husband also went into relax. I have found a new way to get some energy out of the dogs they enjoy running with me as I ride. I just enjoy the ride. It’s not a replacement for downhill skiing but it’s comparable regarding the enjoyment. I rode it a few days ago for the first time this year and quickly noticed how much stronger I am. My core is stronger, my legs are stronger. It’s an electronic skateboard with one big wheel that requires your balance and weight shift to control it. I note to get the pushups back into my routine. I’ve been struggling with some routines. I think there are multiple reasons. The weather has been teasing us and we continue to get very cold days mixed in with mild comfortable days. I also am not getting enough stimulation away from the house. I am basically complaining when I have no real-life issue to complain about.
I put up my Onewheel and facetime my daughter while sitting outside on the swing. Odd topics today are egg donation and micro-plastics being found in the blood of live humans. We talk about the micro-plastic article and note humans continue to be exposed to more and more environmental toxins which are building up in our bodies and leading to more fertility problems. We note the wide use of disposable plastic bottles and that almost none get recycled. My daughter read there was a prediction that at some point all humans will require fertility assistance which leads us to egg donation which is becoming a more common desired service. We will need to continue to make lifestyle changes.
I ask my daughter if her food delivery service has increased costs given rising prices of food and fuel. She said no. She gets six servings a week for $40, all fresh ingredients, three meals with two servings each, and she prepares and cooks the meal. Sounds like quite the deal when costs continue to rise and many are dealing with substantial increases to food costs. We also talk about March Madness brackets. Mine was horrible but she was in the top 96% prior to the Saturday games when like many others she suffered major losses and fell out of the top. The final game is tonight, UNC vs Kansas, and too late for either of us.
I am exhausted at this point and am going to bed and it’s maybe 8:00. My husband is ready to sleep, also. He is already in bed when I go inside. I don’t send a group text to my siblings which we have been doing all tournament with one being a huge UNC fan. I plug in my phone and realize I didn’t play Wordle today and I’m not going to. I turn on a Calm sleep story and am asleep almost instantly.