Love Thy Neighbor: Finding Common Ground When Neighborhood Concerns Collide

 "Love your neighbor as yourself" sounds simple enough until you're dealing with real-life neighborhood challenges.

Recently, I've been thinking about situations where neighbors have very different concerns, but both believe they're looking out for what's best.

Take, for example, a street where an "Autistic Child in Area" sign has been posted. For the family, the sign serves as an important reminder that their child may wander, hide, or react differently to situations. Safety is always on their minds.

At the same time, another neighbor may own a large truck, van, or work vehicle that's legally parked on the street. To them, it's simply where they park their vehicle after a long day. They may not realize that large vehicles can create blind spots or hiding places that make some parents nervous.

Then tensions start to build.  Am I being disrespectful parking a vehicle on the street?  Is our family the next police visit? Admittedly, I know very little about autism but have been curious since the signs appeared on our street in the last couple of weeks.  The police calls started after the signs went up so I searched online to see if there is something we should have been told as residents about parking on our street.  That's how I learned about autistic children possibly viewing a large truck or SUV as a hiding spot.  

One neighbor worries about safety. Another feels targeted because of where they're parking. Someone gets frustrated. Someone calls the police. Feelings get hurt, and before long, people stop talking to each other and start talking about each other.

The thing is, most people aren't trying to be bad neighbors.

Parents of autistic children aren't trying to control the whole street. They're trying to protect a child they love.  As a mom, I understand and respect that.

Vehicle owners aren't usually trying to make life difficult for anyone. They're parking where they believe they're allowed to park.

When we stop and look at the situation that way, it becomes easier to see that everyone is carrying a valid concern.

What if, instead of immediately calling the police or assuming the worst, neighbors started with a conversation?

What if the parents explained why the vehicles make them anxious?

What if the vehicle owner listened and looked for small compromises that might help?  

What if everyone approached the situation with the goal of solving a problem together instead of winning an argument?

Not every concern has a perfect solution, but most neighborhoods work better when people talk with one another rather than about one another.

Being a good neighbor doesn't mean always getting your way. It doesn't mean giving up your rights, either. It means recognizing that the people living around you have challenges, worries, and needs that may be different from your own.

Sometimes love looks like patience.

Sometimes it looks like listening.

Sometimes it looks like moving a vehicle a few feet when you can.

Sometimes it looks like understanding that a family is carrying concerns you may never fully experience yourself.

The older I get, the more I realize that strong neighborhoods aren't built because everyone agrees. They're built because people choose respect even when they don't.

Maybe that's what loving our neighbors really looks like. Not demanding that everyone see things our way, but caring enough to see things from their perspective, too.

After all, we're all sharing the same street.

Resources:

YouVersion - Scripture Image

Health Journey Update: Sinus Headaches, CrossFit Progress, HRT Questions & Appetite Improvements

One thing I've learned through this health journey is that progress doesn't always look the way we expect it to. Sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back, but I'm continuing to trust God and keep moving forward one day at a time.

Recently, my sinus issues have evolved a bit. In addition to the congestion and pressure I've been dealing with, I've started experiencing sinus headaches. They can definitely make for challenging days, but I'm continuing to monitor my symptoms and work through them as best I can. Chronic health issues have a way of teaching patience, even when patience isn't something we particularly want to learn.  I can't wait to see the ENT in September and, hopefully, get some answers.

I've also been experiencing some itching that may be related to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). At this point, I'm still trying to determine whether there is a connection, but it's another reminder that our bodies are complex and that every change seems to bring new questions. As frustrating as that can be, I'm trying to approach it with curiosity rather than discouragement.  I am trying a soothing body wash until I see my OB in October.

One encouraging update is that my appetite continues to improve. It's something that may sound small to others, but it feels like a significant victory to me. Better nutrition helps support healing, energy, and overall well-being, so I'm grateful to see positive movement in that area.

I'm also continuing to participate in CrossFit three times a week. Not every workout looks the way it once did, and scaling movements has become an important part of my routine. I've come to realize that scaling isn't giving up; it's simply adapting. The goal is to keep moving, keep building strength, and keep showing up. Some days are better than others, but consistency has become more important than perfection.

Through all of these ups and downs, I continue to be reminded that God is faithful. While I may not have all the answers or understand every twist and turn in this journey, I know that He walks beside me through each challenge and each victory.

One verse that has been especially encouraging is Isaiah 40:31; scripture image is from YouVersion.

Living with Chronic Sinus Issues: Tracking Symptoms, Treatments, and Hope for Answers

If you regularly read the blog or are a friend in real life, you know I've been struggling with sinus issues since the beginning of this year.  After 23 years in a building, I began getting ill within an hour of arriving.  After a week of vacation and feeling well, I decided to document, document, and document!

A couple weeks ago, I got a cold from my husband.  Unfortunately, since that time, my compromised right sinus has been clogged then draining.  On top of it, I've started getting headaches within the last week.  

I recently shared at my women's AA meeting that I came to AA because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.  Here I am at 11 years sober feeling sick & tired but at least it isn't from drinking.

The appointment with the ENT in September feels years away although I'm sure it will be here before I know it.  I am praying that she will be able to use the CBCT scans from my dentist and any other tests she wishes to run to find a treatment.

I'm trying to advocate and protect my health while still performing my paid job and doing things I enjoy with people that I enjoy.

I have made a few changes in the last week:

I switched from Advil to Tylenol and delay taking the Tylenol until I absolutely have to.  I've been taking 4 caplets a day since I started this a few days ago.

I bought a Nasal Fresh Sinus cleaning device.  I have experimented with the best time of day to use and midday seems to work.  Do know that the images on the Amazon product page are enhanced and your mucus doesn't show up bright green; at least mine hasn't.  

I bought Badger Balm Headache Soother to help extend the time where I need to take Tylenol.  This comes in a stick and is easy to apply and the scent is not overly strong.  The package said to apply anywhere you feel tense.  With a couple of work days I had last week, I would have needed a full body applicator!

I tried a pillow that my husband had bought which has been laying in our TV room for months.  The first night was great, the second night OK, and the third night had me changing back to my regular pillow. It was actually giving me a headache on the third night after I'd taken an evening dose of Tylenol with the hope of getting a good night's sleep.

I am documenting all of these things in the spreadsheet I've been keeping since March.  I will use Copilot to help me create a summary to take to my ENT appointment in September. I already provided the CBCT scan report and images to the ENT office which shares clinical space with the allergist that I saw in early August.  

I appreciate all of you who have been following along on this journey.

Resources:

Scripture image from YouVersion

Weathering Life's Storms: Finding Strength Through Rain and Sinus Struggles

The weather the past week has reminded me of Snoopy at his typewriter when he typed out "It was a dark and stormy night." It has been stormy morning, noon and night at times.  I was supposed to run an errand on Tuesday afternoon; it had cleared up after a morning with tornado sirens blaring only for those sirens to blare once again shortly before I planned to leave.  I moved my errand to Thursday.

I shared on socials that our yard was a mess with tree branches, leaves, and lots of weeds in our flowerbeds but I quickly said I'm blessed that's all we had to deal with.  Friends, loved ones, and strangers around Ohio have experienced storm damage and flooding.  It's Sunday and the thunder has been rumbling again.  I turned off my alarm and allowed myself to get some extra sleep instead of going to my women's AA meeting.  I enjoyed a slow morning of water, coffee, and peanut butter toast with reading and coloring after prayer.  I did go outside and removed weeds from the front flower beds and picked up branches from the back yard.  

After returning home from the National Scout Jamboree, my husband Jon got hit with a bad head cold.  He unintentionally shared it with me. While the worst of it has passed, my sinuses, especially the right one, have been very "stormy" so to speak.  I've mentioned as part of my recovery from sinus issues after being in a sick building that my dentist did a 360 scan of my head which uncovered some structural issues with my right sinus.  I will be seeing an ENT in September for diagnostics and treatment.  Meanwhile, I've gone through a million tissues and decided to buy a nasal cleaning device.  The canned saline mist I've been using isn't enough.  If you have children/grandchildren, you might have used a nasal aspirator or a "boogie sucker" during infancy to clean out noses.  What I ordered is a the adult version of a "boogie sucker" which is USB rechargeable, had good customer reviews plus a recommendation from Howie Mandel!  We'll see how well it works when it arrives later today.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who are dealing with storm damage and cleanup.  Do not forget that God is with us through all of life's storms.

Resources:

YouVersion - Scripture Image

Window Pic - my personal picture of a very weedy flower bed before I cleaned it.

Advocating for My Health: The Zyrtec Washout Challenge

One thing I've learned throughout this health journey is that getting answers often requires patience, persistence, and sometimes a willingness to be uncomfortable for a little while.

As I prepare for my upcoming allergy testing appointment, I've entered what allergists call a "washout period." For those who haven't experienced it, this means stopping antihistamines, including Zyrtec, before testing so the results can accurately reflect how my body responds to potential allergens.

On paper, it sounds simple.

In reality, it's another reminder that medical testing isn't always convenient.

For quite some time, Zyrtec has helped manage many of the symptoms I've been experiencing. Stepping away from that support, even temporarily, means allowing symptoms to return so the testing can provide the clearest possible picture. It's not particularly enjoyable, but it's necessary.  There was vomiting & dry heaves which left an upset stomach making refueling and rehydrating a challenge.  There is also fatigue - physical, emotional, and mental.

What strikes me is how perfectly this fits into the larger lesson I've been learning over the past several months: advocating for your health often requires short-term sacrifices in pursuit of long-term answers.

There are no shortcuts.

Just as I've been coordinating between my primary care physician, allergist, dentist, and workplace accommodation process, this washout period is another step in gathering information. It's another piece of the puzzle. Another opportunity to understand what's really happening instead of simply treating symptoms and hoping for the best.

The experience has also reinforced something I've written about before: uncertainty can be exhausting.

When symptoms return, it's tempting to question whether you're making progress. It's tempting to want immediate solutions. But sometimes progress looks less like feeling better today and more like obtaining the information needed to make better decisions tomorrow.

That's where endurance comes in again.

Endurance isn't only showing up for appointments. It's following testing requirements even when they're inconvenient. It's trusting the process when you would rather skip ahead to the answers. It's recognizing that temporary discomfort sometimes serves a greater purpose.  It is being honest with family and friends about how you're feeling whether it's telling my husband that I need bland foods or sharing with my Crossfit coach that I'm not 100% but I want to participate in class & move.

As I've entered this washout period, I've found myself reminded that advocating for my health isn't about demanding immediate certainty. It's about taking the next step, one step at a time, even when the finish line isn't yet visible.

I don't know what the allergy testing will reveal.

I don't know what recommendations will come afterward.

What I do know is that accurate information matters. And sometimes obtaining that information requires walking through an uncomfortable season first.

For now, the goal remains the same: keep moving forward, keep asking questions, keep working with my medical team, and keep trusting that each step brings me closer to clarity.

Because advocating for our health isn't just about seeking answers.

Sometimes it's about doing what is necessary to find them.

Scripture Reflection

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9

This washout period may be temporary, but the answers it helps uncover could have a lasting impact. For now, I'm focusing on the next step and trusting the process.

Resources:

Copilot for SEO optimization.

YouVersion - Scriptures

Advocating for My Health in the Middle of Uncertainty

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from living in the space between concern and resolution. I'm living it firsthand.

When you're dealing with health concerns, there usually isn't one appointment that suddenly provides all the answers. Instead, there are consultations, testing, follow-up appointments, referrals to specialists, and conversations about possible treatment options. One provider may have one perspective, while another sees something different. Sometimes a test answers a question only to raise several more.

What I've learned over the past several months is that managing a workplace accommodation can feel like a second full-time job.

One of the most challenging parts has been trying to coordinate information among multiple healthcare providers. Right now, I'm working with my primary care physician, an allergist whom I'll see in August, and my dentist, who recently completed a 360 scan after noticing concerning areas on routine x-rays.

Then there is the accommodation process itself. I've already had two case managers. The first sent a letter to my primary care physician asking her to reconsider the medical certification she had originally completed supporting permanent remote work. I didn't receive a copy of that letter and didn't even know it existed until my second case manager mentioned it. During the same conversation, I was told that "the department" wanted me to return to hybrid work, not even at my regular office, but at an alternative location where my teammates don't work.

The challenge is that the timeline of medical care and the timeline of workplace expectations don't always align.

The reality of many health situations is that the process is rarely linear. We all want certainty. We want a diagnosis, a treatment plan, and a clear path forward. Instead, we're often waiting for the next appointment, the next test, or the next conversation.

Yet workplace decisions are often expected before that process is complete.

When there is pressure to return to a hybrid environment before testing has concluded, before specialists have weighed in, and before potential treatment options have even been discussed, it creates a difficult tension. I want to be cooperative. I want to do my job well. At the same time, I think it's reasonable to want a clearer understanding of what's happening with my health before making decisions that could impact it further.

Living in that tension takes endurance.

Advocating for accommodations is important. Documentation matters. Communication matters. Following up with providers matters.

What I've struggled with is not letting the process consume all of my mental energy.

It's easy to replay conversations in your head. To wonder whether your concerns are being taken seriously. To analyze every email. To worry about the next meeting and what might be said.

I've spent more nights than I'd like to admit lying awake, running through scenarios and conversations that haven't even happened yet.

The problem is that endless worrying rarely produces clarity.

I'm learning there is a difference between advocating and obsessing.

Advocating means taking the next appropriate step.

Obsessing means carrying the entire unresolved situation every waking moment—and sometimes during the hours when you should be sleeping.

I'm still learning that difference.

When I hear the word endurance, my mind immediately goes to CrossFit. Endurance isn't standing still. It isn't passive. It's continuing to move forward when you're tired and when the finish line isn't yet visible.

I've started to realize that the same thing applies here.

Endurance is showing up for another appointment when you're tired of repeating your story.

It's completing another round of testing when you hoped the previous round would provide answers.

It's gathering paperwork, responding to emails, and coordinating communication between providers.

It's remaining professional even when you're frustrated.

It's continuing to do your job while carrying uncertainties that most people can't see.

One lesson I keep coming back to is that uncertainty doesn't have to steal every moment of peace.

I still don't have all the answers.

Not every test has been completed.

Not every appointment has happened.

Not every possible treatment option has been discussed.

The outcome of my accommodation request remains uncertain.

And yet life continues.

There are still moments of joy. There are still friends, family, prayer, workouts, laughter, and reasons to be grateful. There are still reminders that life is bigger than this challenge.

That doesn't mean ignoring legitimate concerns. It simply means refusing to let uncertainty become the only story being told.

If this experience has taught me anything, it's that endurance often looks much smaller than we imagine.

Sometimes it isn't a dramatic act of courage.

Sometimes it's just attending the next appointment.

Completing the next form.

Sending the next email.

Having the next conversation.

Trusting that answers will come, even if they arrive more slowly than we'd like.

This week, my focus is simple. I'm reaching out to all of my providers and trying to coordinate a consistent message for my accommodation case. My hope is that they can clearly communicate that returning to a hybrid work environment should not be required until the remaining testing, appointments, and discussions have been completed and an informed treatment plan can be established.

I'm also meeting with my manager and hoping to gain his support, along with that of my medical team, to continue working remotely while we work through the remaining testing and determine the best path forward.

For now, I'm trying to focus on the next step instead of the entire staircase.

The testing will eventually be completed.

The conversations will eventually happen.

The path forward will become clearer.

Until then, endurance will have to be enough.

Resources:

YouVersion Bible App - Scripture Image

Copilot: SEO Optimization

When It All Started Connecting: Decluttering, GLP-1, and a Healthier Home

Lately, I’ve been noticing a pattern—and I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

What started as a few separate things in my life has slowly started weaving together into one bigger lesson. Cleaning out boxes. Paying attention to how my environment makes me feel. Learning how to eat differently on this GLP-1 journey.

At first, they didn’t seem connected at all.

But now? I can’t unsee it.

It started while Jon was hiking Philmont. While he was out carrying only what he needed across miles of trail, I was at home surrounded by… cardboard boxes. So many boxes. The kind that sit for years, quietly collecting dust, holding “important things” that never get touched.

I didn’t throw anything out that wasn’t mine. That wasn’t the goal.

But I did start replacing those old cardboard boxes with sealed totes. One by one. Slowly.

And in the process, I found myself cleaning some of the dustiest areas of our home.

Here’s the part that stopped me in my tracks:
I didn’t get sick.

That felt significant.

Because just weeks before, being in the office for less than an hour would leave me dealing with drainage, sneezing, coughing, and that foggy, can’t-focus feeling I’ve come to recognize all too well. And yet at home, doing actual physical work—stirring up dust, breaking down boxes—I was completely fine.

If you’ve been following along on Santini Serenity, you already know why that stood out to me.

Our environments matter.

Not just in obvious ways, but in subtle ones too—what we store things in, how long we keep them, what’s sitting unseen in corners of our homes. Cardboard vs. sealed storage suddenly didn’t feel like just an organizing preference—it felt like part of a bigger picture.

And at the same time all of this was happening, I’ve been walking through my GLP-1 journey.

Another area where I’ve had to slow way down.

Eating isn’t automatic anymore. I can’t rush through meals like I used to. I have to pause, pay attention, and actually ask myself if I’m still hungry. Sometimes I stop mid-bite and realize… I’m done.

That’s new for me.

But here’s what’s interesting:
It feels a lot like what’s happening in my home.

Less excess.
More awareness.
More intentional choices.

Whether it’s what I’m storing in my house or what I’m putting into my body, I’m realizing how much of life I used to run on autopilot.

And I think that’s what this season is really about.

Not perfection. Not extremes.
Just learning to pause and reset.

This verse keeps coming back to me:

“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”
— Ecclesiastes 4:6

One handful.

Not overflowing closets.
Not overfilled plates.
Not pushing past limits just because that’s what I’ve always done.

Just… enough.

Enough space to breathe in my home.
Enough awareness to listen to my body.
Enough peace to not feel like I have to carry everything at once.

It’s funny how it all came together—cardboard boxes, air quality, eating habits, and a hiking trip in New Mexico. But somehow, they all pointed me to the same truth:

Less really can be more.

More peace.
More clarity.
More health.

And I’m still learning. Slowly.

But for the first time in a long time, that pace feels exactly right.