off days

November 17, 2010

yes, they happen.
yesterday i had an off day. you know what i mean: throughout the entire day, i pretty much found any activity other than lying-on-the-couch-under-the-covers-in-a-fetal-position to be an unbearable chore, an insult to my body’s natural inclinations.

potential reasons for the above:
✔ sad, opaque gray skies above with a tiresome spitting of rain
✔ 3 new consults in the PICU to start the day
✔ research meeting in the afternoon that i was fretting about
✔ after-effects from the past week of pager call (i need a day to myself to mentally cleanse!)
✔ the days feel oh-so-short all the sudden — thanks, november
✔ off day –> skipped my AM run –> endorphin withdrawal
hormones.
[source]
given my field, i have to believe in their power!

anyway, so yeah. i did all of my obligatory work, but that was it. the heavens opened up just as i was headed out to run, so that didn’t happen.


the horizontal line is my anti-checkmark. as in: no, i didn’t do it, but i want this task off the list because it’s either a) being tabled for later or b) abandoned (as in this run).

anyway, i am including this illustration because i want to emphasize that while lists and planners are wonderful things (for me, anyway!), sometimes it’s okay to just give yourself a little break. while lying-on-the-couch-under-the-covers-in-a-fetal-position with my laptop after work yesterday, i came across heather‘s perfectly timely post entitled “when it’s okay not to exercise.” i would add that sometimes it’s also okay not to cook dinner, not to clean up, and to go to bed at 8 pm.

that way, at the very least, you’re well-rested for the next day! and that is a truly important accomplishment in itself.

the breakfast challenge: day 3

um . . . time off for good behavior?
i knew this would be hard! that’s why i allowed myself a little loophole when making the rules:

a) i have to eat something different for breakfast each day

b) only one day out of the seven may be a variation on my standard theme

all right, so today is that one day. tomorrow, i am going to go really radical and make something using eggs. breakfast rut, i will beat you!

hosting for the holidays?
can you believe we’re just a week from thanksgiving!? i actually am in a mild state of shock that my first year of fellowship will be half over in just 6 weeks. josh and i will be on vacation for most of next week (both of us are working on monday), going on a pilgrimage of our own to see family up north (PA) and down south (miami).

i am really looking forward to this extended pager-free block — this will be my first true vacation since starting fellowship. since we are traveling, we will not be hosting anyone in our apartment (which is good, because it’s really too small), but i really liked this holiday hosting guide i came across on simplemom.net, a website that i heart despite my non-mom status.

some of my favorite tips
✿ prep the sofa bed (if you will be using one) in advance
✿ make towels and toilet paper insanely easy to find
✿ buy a few food basics to suit guest’s preferences (josh & i both drink coffee straight up, so we never have the right additives around!)
✿ leave empty shelves/drawers for your guests — that way, their stuff won’t get mixed haphazardly with yours.

are you inviting guests into your home for the holidays this year? i’d love to hear your hosting tactics!

off to run – for real this time!

——————————————————————

11.16.10 –> off day

workout: nope

cooking: i may have had cereal for dinner.

sleep: 9+ hours!

3 Comments

  • Reply Susan March 10, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    Sometimes the best thing to do after lots of planning is to abandon the plan…off days happen and we have to learn to roll with them. You&#39ll get out of the slump quickly and be back to those check marks before you know it!

    I&#39m working on Thanksgiving and the Friday after (no shopping for me…boo!), so I think my entertaining will involve debriding my patients. Okay, let&#39s pretend I didn&#39t say that.

  • Reply Denise March 10, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    We aren&#39t hosting either. We are going to Miami too and want to see you! We will be there Tues. night – Sun. afternoon. When will you guys be in town? I am definitely planning to go to Miami Beach at some point to see Rachel&#39s new house.

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    Great tips! I also like to keep a basket of stuff in the guest bathroom – a couple of new toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, Q-tips, etc – in case our guests forgot something. We get most of that stuff from Costco so I usually have extra hanging around anyway.

    We are hosting this year – my mom and step-dad are coming to stay with us! We&#39re all doing a Turkey Trot in the AM and then cooking dinner. Can&#39t wait!

    Glad you enjoyed your day off of running! 🙂

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