Taking Stock

There are two times a year that I usually find it interesting to stop and take stock of my situation. One is New Year's Eve and the second is my birthday. I don't really celebrate my birthday anymore, but I do like to do one or two things to mark the day. This year I will be going for a jog, having brunch with friends, reading whatever I want and maybe watching some "crap telly" as it is called on my new favorite Mystery! show.

These are all pretty basic things, but they represent gifts to myself. I want to jog because it is an example of how healthy I remain, and it also reminds me that I have to participate in my own health. Health maintenance isn't a passive process and as a nurse who recommends healthy lifestyle changes to people, I have to also be an example of those behaviors.  Eating brunch with friends reminds me that I am not alone in either my situation or my physical location. Finally, reading and watching TV may not seem like that much of a gift to myself, because I still do those things (though much less frequently than before I came back to school), but today I am going to do them without feeling any guilt. Today, I am going to try to not focus on what else I should be doing while I'm reading or watching TV and instead just read or watch TV.

Later on today, I am also planning to take a look at the remaining weeks before school starts and set some deadlines for my summer goals. I've been having a harder time than I expected re-acclimating to the PhD process since I returned from my vacation. I'm hoping that I can correct some of this by establishing a bit more structure. (I love planning and making lists - it is so fun to imagine what I might accomplish!)

To make my day perfect, I'm also planning to spend a fair amount of it with my new kitten, Boris, in my lap!

I'm off to have a wonderful birthday! I hope that everybody out there has a great day too. :)