300 Days of Sunshine

Hello winter We woke up to a winter wonderland on Tuesday morning after 6" of snow accumulation overnight!  While I wasn't mentally ready to say goodbye to autumn, part of me is always excited about a fresh snowfall.  I have been walking twice a day during the month of October and I find a lot of comfort and meditation in a quiet, snowy walk.  So many people this year, myself including, are living with an elevated level of stress day to day, and there seems to be this sense of impending doom, this fear of the unknown, and a much greater need to discover outlets for self-care and mental health. I've been trying to transform the way I feel about my leisure time.  Having two kids and working full time, in the middle of a pandemic where help is hard to come by and in the presence of heightened anxiety at home and work, is really hard.  I have come to realize that I spend too much time feeling resentful, feeling overwhelmed, wishing I had more time for myself, or getting frustr

I had a cold last week, the kind that goes from allergies and itchy eyes and sniffles to a scratchy throat and gross coughing and eventually losing my voice.  Getting a cold during a pandemic can turn anyone into a hypochondriac, and it crossed my mind more than once that "Oh my gosh, could this be COVID?!"  (Thankfully it wasn't.)  I blame the combination of the seasons changing, sleep deprivation, the smoky air quality, and not staying hydrated during busy days at work.  It didn't help that I was over-using my voice all week between patient care, clinical education, presentations on Zoom meetings, and parenting.  By the end of the week I was completely unable to talk.   Being sick as a parent of young kids is pretty miserable, because taking a nap or a long shower or just curling up on the coach are not options, but thankfully Ady was adorably helpful, suggesting that we make some "camel meal" (chamomile) tea to make my "neck" feel better, and of