Too bad my employer is so narrow minded, but they are the ones who will be suffering as I told my employer I am perfectly happy taking my naps and watching tv.
Good on you! I've dabbled my toes at returning to work; a half-day here, a day there. I just completed my first full week back, and my routine (following in the footsteps of
@Slainte) was to come home from work, feed the cat, eat, take a shower, and go to bed. One night I fell asleep at seven, woke up at 11:56 and flossed, and told myself that counted. Awake for a few hours on the computer, back to sleep. Towards the end of the week it got easier to stay up until closer to ten.
I also had the bright (I think) idea to try to sandwich in all the neglected tests and procedures I'd put off for forever, since my insurance deductible and co-pay were maxed out (a position I hope never to be in again). Over the last month I've gotten teeth cleaned, blood-work, a pap smear, a mammogram, a bone-density scan, a colonoscopy, eye surgery, three mega-blasts of antibiotics (during the dental procedure and the colonoscopy) and the resulting yeast infection, and I'm sure there was more. It's all been kind of rush-rush as my insurance year rolls over in another week. Part of what inspired me was the thinking, "Brand-new knee, brand-new life, I want to be tip-top healthy for it!" All of these, as well as the travel for the eye surgery, have come with a cost as well as a benefit, and each one of us (once we take off the super-person cloak and accept the limitations) is probably the best judge of what will be worth doing.
Looking for ways to cut back on the things we have to physically do, as well as becoming willing to accept help (where it's helpful), become part of this journey. The airport in the city to which I traveled for surgery has a very long walk to get from the gate to luggage to the doors. I accepted assistance, not because I couldn't have walked it eventually, but because I knew that I would need all available energy and focus to meet with the surgeon, get an exam, get questions answered, go through the surgery, etc. So I became the lady riding the wheelchair through the airport. Ignominious? Yeah, the first time or two. But realistic? Also yeah. In the long run, worth it.
Some stores have a shopping service online. Go to their site, fill your virtual cart, tell them when you'll pick up, and wah-lah, baby! Also part of the journey is accepting that the help you accepted didn't do things the way you have done. That's it's own set of frustrations. But overall, we just need to tap into our resourcefulness and move on.
United States
