Hi everyone,
I will be starting a new series that will give me the opportunity to share more of myself with you. This will allow us to learn more from each other and grow together.
I have been writing in my journal more frequently to better appreciate all the developments in my life, either good or bad.
I plan to take my daily journal entries and use them to write a summarized reflection for the week. These weekly reflections will be released at the end of each month in a single post to make them easy to digest.
At this time, these posts will likely include my fitness progress, blog developments, career, things I have learned and the good people in my life.
Overall, I hope you enjoy these monthly reflections, as much as I do. – Or should I say REFLEXIONS?
Week 1: September 1st – 7th
On the 6th, while driving between patients’ homes, I found this Disney Finding Nemo Jumper sitting on the curb. A quick online search showed these things are pretty expensive! I posted it online that day and I am in the process of selling it for $80.00! Hopefully, the transaction goes through by next week.
To become more efficient and healthy, I have re-established my morning and night routine. The thing that usually breaks my routine is not being able to turn off electronics. To counter that bad habit, I am aiming for turning off electronics by 11:00 PM allowing me to sleep and wake up more refreshed at 5:00 AM. I’m usually running on 5 hours of sleep, so 6 hours should be a realistic goal.
Week 2: September 8 – 14
I have spent the majority of this week preparing for future blog related content. I’m excited as it will involve me being featured on another website. I’m hoping the release will be next month, so sit tight.
While it has been great forming new connections with people, it has been even better reconnecting with others. Recently, I have been catching up with my cousin who I grew up with. She gave me some good feedback about my blog and I learned that she too has a passion for photography. She is currently thinking about starting a photography business. I love that side hustle spirit.
In regards to a side hustle of my own, the jumper did not sell last week. Good news is that the buyer gave birth to a healthy boy! She has begged me to save it for her when she will be in the area in late October. For now, I guess I’ll keep it tucked away in my trunk until she is ready.
Week 3: September 15 – 21
A nice win I had this week occurred after I discovered that one of my 90-year-old patients was in desperate need for a bathtub bench. Since my patient’s son made it clear that his mom alone is responsible for her medical costs. I scoured Facebook Marketplace and found one for FREE! She also gave me a rolling walker which I lent out to another patient the next day. This has taught me two things. One, stop expecting my patients’ family members to act as their family. Two, deals are out there, you just need to look for them!
Week 4-5: September 22 – 30
Looking back at my calendar, I realized that I have been working an additional 4-5 hours every Tuesday and Thursday since the beginning of the year with the exception of only 2 days!
I average 50 hours per week between home care and the hospital and I’ve already worked twice as much overtime this year compared to the last. While it is accelerating our journey to financial independence, I am feeling more tired each week despite enjoying what I do.
I feel close to burnout with weekends barely allowing me to recharge before the beginning of the following work week.
After some thought, it is likely that I will decrease my extra hours before the end of the year. I am just glad that I can do this from a place of financial strength.
Despite feeling worn out this week, I completed a motivational tool for my younger sister to track her student loan repayment progress. I’ll be running some more tests before releasing it to the public for official use — stay tuned.
I enjoy community service and like it, even more, when I can help out a friend in the process. During a recent event, my was an artist for the face painting station while I was the unofficial event photographer. Can anyone say future side hustle?
We also spent the weekend at an event hosted by The Parkinson Council. We learned about how dance graffiti, rock-steady boxing, yoga, and mind-body connections help those suffering from the disease. It’ll be a great resource to share with my patients.
I have many things to be proud of this, but my greatest accomplishment this month is completing a 3.0-mile jog/run without my left knee becoming painful. I still have some work to do, but all that exercise must be helping. It pays to be a PT!
September was a quick month! October will start off eventful with the 1st day being our 2nd year wedding anniversary.