small snippets of life

As someone on the medical field, I meet a lot of people. Most of whom are seeking treatment to make them feel better. Feel less pain. Be more independent. It occurred to me today as I was reviewing a lady's chart, each encounter with a patient is but just a small snippet of their life. I was seeing this particular woman for shoulder pain. But her list of comorbidies was long. She had undergone several surgeries throughout her life time, a documented heart condition, encountered polio as a child and a list  of medications about a mile long. And yet I was just seeing her for her shoulder.

I think I needed a small reminder that though each day we seek to put our best foot forward, we are ever changing. We post our best photos on instagram, come up with the most cleaver tweets and status updates. Our pinterest boards are filled with fascinating things that demonstrate our creative potential. I am convinced that around 90% of people in our lives see the "best" of us. Not saying that the good moments arent worth sharing to the masses (because they are and please share away!), but what if we also showed the moments where we werent smiling? What if we showed the tear stained pillow case or the scars on our skin?

This post is not meant to be dramatic or anti-social media or anything of that nature. I was just reminded of how complex we are as individuals. Our medical histories, our social histories, our family matrix and most of all, the many emotions and thoughts we experience in one day. I know I often try to put my best foot forward to the world, but it okay if the world also sees my weaknesses or vulnerabilities. It is okay if my friends see my unperfect life. The next time I am scrolling through social media and I see a posted picture and think negatively about my life, I am going to remember that that picture is just a snippet in time of a rather complex person. It is a moment in time, shared with me. Not meant to make me jealous or lament on what I do not have.

What I wouldn't give for this latte on a cold morning like today 

Small glimpses of normalcy

I have returned to work full time and everything that comes with it. Each night I have been thankful the work day is over and I am back home, with my feet up resting. It's been good to go back to work in so many ways, but also very physically and emotionally draining. 

This past Tuesday my friends Jenn and Erin and myself went to a concert after work. We saw the Fray- a band I have now seen five times and seemingly love them more each time I see them.  They put on such a great show and you can tell how much they love to perform by the quality of their show.  We got really lucky and got seats up in the balcony so we could sit for the opening bands. It was a perfect viewing spot and more importantly I didn't have to stand after standing for 10 hours. 

Going to the concert after my first full 10 hour day back was a bit exhausting. It pushed my limits of how much energy I have to expend in one day.  In the same breath, it gave me this almost euphoric feeling of normalcy. The feeling of my life getting back on track. I know I need to continue listening to my body and not taking on too much, and I am doing that. I am actually going to talk to my manager today about cutting hours back to 30 for the next couple of weeks. I am just not quite back to normal, close though :) 

Here are a few pictures from the concert