Life Update from the Birthday Girl

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This post will be live by my birthday on Saturday, February 15.  I'll be 52 this year.

So far, 2025 has not been what I hoped it would be.  Perhaps that is because what I hoped for is not God's will for my life.  

I injured my neck and shoulders and underwent PT.  I graduated from PT this week but I will need time to regain lost strength.  I need to be smart so that I don't reinjure myself.  Despite getting injured while doing bench press extra credit, I do not regret the time spent with my friends Kathy and Jodi. Adding to my injury was increased stress from returning to Columbus office hours.  My driving anxiety and stress over completing all of my chores caused extra muscular tension.

I was doing a Bible Plan in YouVersion to read the Bible in 365 days.  I stopped this plan as I want to focus on plans that will help me overcome stress, anxiety, and worry by increasing my faith and learning to trust God.

I also realized that with my return to Columbus office hours, that my afternoon meditation had gone by the wayside so I've made an effort to make sure I don't miss them.

Living in Ohio, I never know what the weather is going to be on my birthday. I really loved my birthday a few years ago when it was 60 to 70 degrees. I was able to wear a long sleeve shirt, my husband & I took a walk and Jon cooked me a steak on the grill.  In 2025, it looks like we're getting a snow and ice storm so I'm glad I made plans to stay home this weekend.  I took 3 vacation days from work for a 5 day weekend.  If we do get snow & ice, I hope the roads are cleared as I have a massage on Monday, a dentist appointment and haircut on Tuesday.  With that being said, the safety of the staff at Village Massage and Hair Loft 120 are far more important than a massage and a haircut.

This past week, I began testing a new laundry schedule of Tuesday & Thursday nights with any remaining laundry being done on Saturday.  Yes, I realize that this means I'll be doing laundry on my birthday; it's not the end of world as the machines do a bulk of the work.  I also set Wednesdays as my day to make sure trash and recycling get collected from around the house and out to the bins before Thursday when Jon takes the bins out to the curb for pickup.

I also tried to make sure there were plenty of leftovers.  A big batch of Jon's sausage & pepper pasta plus my crockpot pork roast & potatoes have provided a nice bounty. 

By setting expectations for my regular chores and by choosing meals that result in leftovers, I will be less stressed - Maybe? Hopefully?

Currently, the expectation is that we report to our Columbus office for work two days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We received an update from OSU President Carter on Thursday that linked to a website to answer questions about recent State of Ohio Executive Orders.  That website indicates that the return to office 5x a week mandate is not applicable to Ohio colleges and universities.  The department I work in also works closely with the Ohio Department of Higher Education.  I'm hoping that being an OSU employee will protect us from the 5x a week in the office mandate.

While recovering from my shoulder injury, I am only doing Crossfit classes 3x a week.  I did bike and rower workouts before my PT sessions.  I also use my home elliptical to workout while watching YouTube. On my birthday weekend, I turned off my alarms for both Saturday and Sunday and plan to enjoy the rare treat of sleeping in. I also plan to enjoy a weekend of not going anywhere!  

 

Resources:

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