I Love This Season
It’s that time of year when the beautiful fall color leaves have started to fall to the ground and the first dusting of snow on the Boise mountains has taken my breath away. Every time I look at those mountains, or the sunset over the snowy peaks, I am completely in awe of this beautiful countryside and place I get to call home. It’s what brings me peace amongst all the other trials and negativity surrounding our world today. Even in the midst of struggle, just being one with nature can ease my mind.
Let The Family and Friend Time Begin
Last week we participated in a Friendsgiving event in our new neighborhood hosted by friends with over 150 guests. Once again, I was in awe of the organization, the detailed planning, and all the food preparation and individual community participation to bring in numerous outdoor heaters, tables and chairs. It was such a beautiful example of what a community looks like. It seriously took a village to make this event happen, and I was sincerely grateful just to be a small part of what turned out to be such a lovely exchange of laughter and connection.
The 10 Day Van Tour
On Saturday we packed our van and headed off to California for what will be a 10 day excursion visiting friends and family. We stopped in Sacramento at my brother-in-law’s house and enjoyed dinner with two of our kids and their wife and girlfriend. We ventured off to one of my old stomping grounds to meet my long time coworker and friend Maggie and some surprise guests she brought that I hadn’t seen in so long. After a fun day, we headed to our longtime friend’s house in Folsom where we were blessed with an incredible dinner, excellent company, and a cozy room.
Today was filled with a slow morning, beautiful walk around the Folsom trails, and sushi at Mikuni’s. Tonight we will join our old neighbors for a night of great food and drinks, reminiscing about many years of memories and laughs.
Lompoc Bound
Tomorrow morning we will head to Lompoc where my husband’s family resides. We will park our van in my sister-in-law’s driveway, set up camp, and embrace several days with family. On Saturday, we have our Disco outfits ready to go for my husband’s best friend’s 60th Birthday party! I’m sure there will be pictures to follow this one.
With So Much Gratitude
For the self-employed…I’ll admit that it’s hard to take long stretches off work. Part of it is that there are no benefits or swanky vacation time off like I used to have when I worked for Kaiser and other big healthcare organizations. There is also a huge responsibility to all my clients and my own expectations of ensuring quality care and services. So for me to take this time off and for my clients to also be generous in allowing me this time off for the holidays, I am so very grateful.
I know I wrote about my journey with my left shoulder surgery last blog…Last week I learned I would need the same rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder and that in order to not make it worse, it was recommended that surgery be Dec 22nd (yes 3 days before Christmas). After consulting my amazing husband and son, whose holiday plans will be impacted by this surgery, I was filled with love and gratitude for how much they rallied to ensure that I would be okay and could endure a second surgery.
At Peace with Gratitude
One thing I know for sure is that when I feel peace my values and emotional wellness are completely in alignment. Yes I could have complained and felt discouraged and disappointed with the idea of surgery this time of year. Yet somehow I feel stronger in my left shoulder than I have since my July surgery, and my confidence that this was the best time of year to actually do this second surgery has immensely increased. Today I am grateful for the time I have taken off to embrace joy, fun and time with family this Thanksgiving. I am blessed by all the incredible opportunities that keep landing in front of me. I have great expectations for what next year will bring. The best part is I will be bionic and ready to paddle again by April!