Success!
Pain Spectrum - yellow with red spikes
BM/RD Index - 10
Fuzz meter - 8. I’m tired!
The trip was wonderful on all levels. We saw friends, stayed in a lovely hotel in a gorgeous part of town, thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibits, had some great food, and saw some truly covet-worthy pieces of furniture. Most importantly, though, I accomplished all my goals – we went to all four museums. We even managed to fit in some other fun activities as a bonus. In short, I learned a lot. Some key points:
Make realistic goals and stick to them: A museum a day. That was the goal. In the past, I have had too many different things on my want-to-do-list, like restaurants or shopping, in addition to culture. Even if I told myself that I didn’t have to succeed in my entire list, I would invariably end up disappointed when I couldn’t do it all. By keeping it simpler (yet still challenging), I was able accomplish everything I set out to do. Every day, after we had finished with our day’s museum, I felt a real sense of gratification. Some days, I felt capable of doing more, some days not. Restaurants and shopping were regelated to “bonus” categories. I had done some research (how could I not?) but tried not to put too much effort into it. That way, there wasn’t any real disappointment when we couldn’t do everything. On the other hand, those bonus places that we did manage to go to were all the nicer because I knew that I was going above and beyond what I had hoped to do. But the goal of a museum a day was always paramount. On days where I was feeling particularly tired after a museum, we simply went back to the hotel and called it a day, with the aim of recharging my batteries for tomorrow. This leads to my second big epiphany…
Resting is good: Also counter-intuitive to how I used to do things – remember how K used to call me the energizer bunny? Say goodbye to that chick. I’m going to be all about pacing myself from now on. Leisurely tea breaks? Check. Afternoon naps? Check again. Restorative glass of mid-afternoon wine? You betcha!(Hey, it was vacation.) Egregious use of museums’ contemplative corner benches? Check, check, check!
Be flexible: Some days, after resting, I still wasn’t able to bounce back. Perhaps that meant that the museum visit went more quickly than we had hoped for. Or maybe, dinner just became the hotel restaurant, and that jazz club just became a rent-a-movie. Bottom line - it’s okay not to do everything.
Use the tools you have optimally: If the prescription says that the lidocaine patches can be worn for 12 hours, then wear them for all twelve. If it says you can use up to three, use all three. I put these on as soon as we woke up and kept them on all day. They may not be the most comfortable, but they help. They definitely help.
Don’t be afraid to admit that help is necessary: Wheelchairs are our friends! Same with elevators! But most importantly, folks, it always pays to remember that I couldn’t this without K. He’s the one who acts like my second cane, propping me up by the arm or the hip so that we can walk much farther than if I tried to go it alone. He’s the one who is running constant interference in crowds, creating a buffer so that I don’t get accidentally walloped and put out of commission for the rest of the day. He gets the food, buys the drinks, carries the bags, and makes sure that I always have a seat in subways. He constantly gauges my crankiness factor and monitors it for signs of encroaching pain surges (I get cranky before I consciously start registering that I’m actually in a lot of pain – it’s a defense mechanism) and will change whatever we are doing on a dime to respond accordingly. In short, I wouldn’t have half the life I have now without him. That he does all that AND works (new position alert!) AND goes to b-school is truly remarkable to me. I love him to pieces.
BM/RD Index - 10
Fuzz meter - 8. I’m tired!
The trip was wonderful on all levels. We saw friends, stayed in a lovely hotel in a gorgeous part of town, thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibits, had some great food, and saw some truly covet-worthy pieces of furniture. Most importantly, though, I accomplished all my goals – we went to all four museums. We even managed to fit in some other fun activities as a bonus. In short, I learned a lot. Some key points:
Make realistic goals and stick to them: A museum a day. That was the goal. In the past, I have had too many different things on my want-to-do-list, like restaurants or shopping, in addition to culture. Even if I told myself that I didn’t have to succeed in my entire list, I would invariably end up disappointed when I couldn’t do it all. By keeping it simpler (yet still challenging), I was able accomplish everything I set out to do. Every day, after we had finished with our day’s museum, I felt a real sense of gratification. Some days, I felt capable of doing more, some days not. Restaurants and shopping were regelated to “bonus” categories. I had done some research (how could I not?) but tried not to put too much effort into it. That way, there wasn’t any real disappointment when we couldn’t do everything. On the other hand, those bonus places that we did manage to go to were all the nicer because I knew that I was going above and beyond what I had hoped to do. But the goal of a museum a day was always paramount. On days where I was feeling particularly tired after a museum, we simply went back to the hotel and called it a day, with the aim of recharging my batteries for tomorrow. This leads to my second big epiphany…
Resting is good: Also counter-intuitive to how I used to do things – remember how K used to call me the energizer bunny? Say goodbye to that chick. I’m going to be all about pacing myself from now on. Leisurely tea breaks? Check. Afternoon naps? Check again. Restorative glass of mid-afternoon wine? You betcha!(Hey, it was vacation.) Egregious use of museums’ contemplative corner benches? Check, check, check!
Be flexible: Some days, after resting, I still wasn’t able to bounce back. Perhaps that meant that the museum visit went more quickly than we had hoped for. Or maybe, dinner just became the hotel restaurant, and that jazz club just became a rent-a-movie. Bottom line - it’s okay not to do everything.
Use the tools you have optimally: If the prescription says that the lidocaine patches can be worn for 12 hours, then wear them for all twelve. If it says you can use up to three, use all three. I put these on as soon as we woke up and kept them on all day. They may not be the most comfortable, but they help. They definitely help.
Don’t be afraid to admit that help is necessary: Wheelchairs are our friends! Same with elevators! But most importantly, folks, it always pays to remember that I couldn’t this without K. He’s the one who acts like my second cane, propping me up by the arm or the hip so that we can walk much farther than if I tried to go it alone. He’s the one who is running constant interference in crowds, creating a buffer so that I don’t get accidentally walloped and put out of commission for the rest of the day. He gets the food, buys the drinks, carries the bags, and makes sure that I always have a seat in subways. He constantly gauges my crankiness factor and monitors it for signs of encroaching pain surges (I get cranky before I consciously start registering that I’m actually in a lot of pain – it’s a defense mechanism) and will change whatever we are doing on a dime to respond accordingly. In short, I wouldn’t have half the life I have now without him. That he does all that AND works (new position alert!) AND goes to b-school is truly remarkable to me. I love him to pieces.
posted by KS at 2:02 PM
2 Comments:
What can I say? Yo make life worth living. Thank you.
does your front left lobe tickle? that's a good feeling!
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