Living life – Page 43 – Physician In Numbers

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

This week, I was supposed to be attending WCICON20 in Las Vegas. I have been looking forward to going for months.

I wanted to attend the first meeting, in Park City, but couldn’t arrange the time off. Many people posted how much they enjoyed it, and I was looking forward to meeting people who want to talk about finances, education, and even wellness. More, I was looking forward to meeting people who aren’t all internists. Maybe I even had some fan-girl interest in meeting the people behind the blogs I read (or podcasts I listen to) each week.

Not to mention, I was looking forward to 1 week away from the office, away from the EMR, and possibly in some sun.

However, in the past weeks, we have had to deal with the arrival of the novel coronavirus in our country, and the prospect of quarantine (or self-quarantine).

My Goals Versus COVID-19

The weather is wintry, but the lengthening days tell my hind-brain that Spring is coming. And in my home, Spring means Spring Cleaning. Tidying. Emptying the kitchen cabinets and all the closets of old, unusable items.

On the other hand, this year we have the novel coronavirus, the cause of COVID-19, making its way across the globe. There are currently only a few known cases in the USA, but very likely there will be many more soon.

It has been 11 years since the swine flu outbreak, but I do recall hospital policy: you were not to come to work if febrile. If you had proven swine flu, you were to stay home for quite some time, until you were unlikely to spread your infection to patients and other staff.

My husband is very concerned about the possibility of having to self-quarantine. In addition to the possibility that we might get stuck in our home for a while, he also has to worry about his 2 elderly parents, who live just a few miles away. He worries about possible food shortages and how they will get supplies if this virus hits our city hard.

Springing Hope

Last week I complained about the grey days of winter.

This weekend I felt some hopeful stirrings, with hints of spring.

Here are 5 things that made me happy last week.

Grey Winter Days

I am trying to work on a positive attitude, but I confess this is my least favorite time of year. It’s cold, and grey, and the sun goes down too early.

The holidays are over: no more lights, decorations, parties.

Walking home is less likely (see above), so I get less fresh air and exercise.

Since it is dark and cold, evenings are spent indoors, usually watching TV or movies. No outings for me, as I am a responsible worker who has early office hours.

Wednesday Wool-gathering

Several random thoughts on the week past.

A Weekend In Numbers

1 National holiday.

3 Visiting children.

2 Visiting parents. Add 2 hosting adults and note that we outnumber the children. Barely.

Future Me, January 2020 Follow Up

I started this series of posts at the end of October 2018, when I cut back my hours from full time to 90%. At the time I was dealing with overwork and atrophy of my personal life; I worried that I would waste the extra time I was buying myself with my pay cut.

I started with 10 Steps to Future Me. In mid-February 2019, I reviewed my goals from October, and came up with some new ones. In May of 2019 my father’s illness derailed my regular life, and I was pretty forgiving about missing most of my goals in the mid-June update. The work load over the summer was hefty, and again my September 2019 update had many missed marks.

I had planned to follow up at the end of the year, so it’s time to revisit September’s goals and see how I stand with them.

Monday Melange: Fun Vs Money

I have been reading personal finance blogs for a while. I love the breadth of subjects: frugality, meal planning, travel ~~hacking~~ planning, geeky number posts comparing traditional and Roth IRAs.

One of my issues is that they all, every one of them (it seems), glorifies the side hustle.

You know, the other job, the one you do after your regular one is done. It doesn’t pay as much, yet, but helps you diversify your income sources.

Even doctors are supposed to have a side hustle, I hear.

Tempest Fugit

Today was not one of my regular days. Instead of going to the hospital, I participated in an off-campus event for the morning.

Once I was free, I decided to walk home, as it was a bright, unseasonably sunny day. I almost pulled out my sunglasses, kept in my purse in perpetual optimism, in case I can actually get outside during daylight.

2019 In Review

This is the time of year when people make resolutions for the next year. Usually there is talk of losing weight, saving more, getting ahead.

Before I consider resolutions (or plans) for 2020, I would like to look back at 2019, and think about accomplishments I can point to with pride. I find it is healthier for me to concentrate periodically on things that have gone well, rather than always pointing out what needs to improve.