my other half
on sunday afternoon, an anonymous reader wrote in with this question:
Could you tell us more about Josh? How did he decide on medicine, and then later surgery? What are his techniques to staying organized with his busy lifestyle?
excited, i immediately shouted across our one-bedroom apartment: “babe!”
he took off his headphones [because he KNOWS i cannot tolerate the video game background music] and replied: “what?”
“someone wants to know your techniques for staying organized with your busy lifestyle!”
the answer was . . . silence. this is either because josh is very humble, or because he had already gone back to his video game.
so, i had to come up with my own josh-inspired tips based on my observations. one thing is for sure: he definitely seems to enjoy life in the face of enormous work-related challenges. and [honestly!] i have learned a lot from watching him relax and go with the flow.
do you see anything other than pure unbridled glee!??
the top 3 tips for living (and loving) your surgical lifestyle
tip #1: marry well
you know all of those nagging and time-consuming household chores like the laundry, shopping for groceries, cleaning the bathroom, and making dinner? well, they are much easier when your wife does them for you!
[i kid . . . sort of. the truth is that yes, i do most of these things, but i have a lot more time to do them in. josh will always chip in when i need his help and does do a mean vacuuming/floor cleaning job when he gets into the right mood! and on occasion when i don’t feel like cooking/cleaning/etc, we get take-out and accept things as they are, and i have never heard any complaints.]
tip #2: don’t sleep
seriously, y’all — 5 hours a night is more than enough. going to bed early is great, because you can get SO much work done when you set our alarm for 3:00 AM to read about thyroid surgeries! and if you finish early, you get to snooze on the couch. WIN-WIN.
[okay, maybe he averages closer to 6 hours, but this is pretty much the real deal. if you thought i was an early riser, know that often josh has already left for work by the time i get up . . . at 5.]
tip #3: keep lists
but you don’t need a fussy planner like sarah’s! a simple index card will suffice.
extra bonus points if you’re still carrying around a card that says, “weekend 3/18” and it’s mid-april. if there is something on that list you don’t really feel like doing, just procrastinate. if it was important, you’ll find a way to get it done; if not, you probably won’t.
bonus! healthy living tips:
tip #1: surgery counts as a workout! obviously. you try standing in one spot for 8 hours at a time! a weekend run and maybe a little time with the lovely jillian michaels will help round out the week’s exercise regimen. yoga is great — as a spectator sport.
tip #2: if you are in the OR, you might not have time to eat lunch. and that’s okay, because that caloric deficit just means that you get to enjoy more of tip #3 without any visible consequences.
tip #3: eat the 4 Bs! no, not blueberries, broccoli, beans and brussels sprouts — we’re talking burgers, barbeque, bacon, and beer!
exhibit A
exhibit B
and . . . C. just this past weekend!
as for how he decided on medicine and later surgery — well, i’d rather let him actually tell that story! hopefully it will find its way onto an index card someday soon ♥
other questions for or about josh?? if you have them, they may inspire him to get in gear and write a real guest post of his own . . .
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4.11.11
workout: 45 minutes at the gym — half elliptical, half weights
20 minutes restorative lunar flow yoga in the evening
stretch it out
i love these packs of frozen ravioli from whole foods, but they can be skimpy, especially compared to, say, a giant barbeque burger. therefore, my mission is always to stretch a package out into a full meal for both of us.
last night’s trick: a bed of spinach underneath; a whole bunch of frozen peas; some olive oil + romano.
it worked!
at least somewhat. josh may have followed his serving up with a burger some bread and cheese.
detox report: day 1 — check! i am already feeling better rested this morning [and amazingly, the pager cooperated with my plans for sleep]. the only thing missing was the meditation. ahhh!
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