Monday, November 4, 2013

Growth Curve -- Medical Mondays

It's over. The Great Adventure known as "away rotations," that is.

As grateful as I was to come home. As many ups and downs (and, let's be honest, there were more ups than downs) as we had along the way. As overjoyed as I am to know that, a few weeks from now I will not, in fact, be packing and cleaning and driving 12+ hours to some destination. As crazy as it sounds, I was a little bit sad for it to be over.

In addition to fun, adventure, family time, I learned a lot about myself along the way. I think it's the first step of the residency growth curve -- one I think my whole family will experience in our own ways.

St. Louis

I learned (or learned more deeply):

***The value of simple living. Yes, I can wear the same 5-7 outfits for a month. Yes, I can fit a month's worth of clothing in a suitcase. Yes, I can pack the essentials for a family of 3 into the trunk of a sedan. It is truly eye-opening to realize how much you don't need, even if those things are nice to have.

***How to be even more careful with meal planning and smart grocery shopping. I've long been a meal planner, but I took it to a new, no-waste level when we were on the road. I didn't want anything left at the end of 4 weeks. As a result, my grocery bills were consistently lower than they are at home. Admittedly, home shopping includes more non-grocery items and more "stock up on sale" items, but I am trying to shop smarter. And clean out the pantry, full of half-used junk.


Denver (fine, Vail)

***The value of getting out of the house -- to play, to go for a walk, to run errands, whatever. Because we only had one car, I had to get creative with getting out of the house. I can definitely see how my mood changes when I'm cooped up too long. I might be an introverted stay at home mom, but I can't stay in the home all day every day.

***The value of getting out of the house -- to explore, to experience, to do. At home, it is easy to get bogged down with chores, to-do lists, obligations, expectations, ruts, etc. On the road, we were committed to maximizing our weekends -- trying new restaurants, being tourists, seeing family, getting out to see what a new city had to offer. We had so much fun. So much fun. I think that is what made the experience so wonderful and memorable for me. I hope to incorporate it more into our "real" lives, both here and wherever we land in the new (medical) year.

***That we really, truly will be okay wherever we land. Now, I'm not just saying it. I know it.

Wichita

{Linking up with Your Doctor's Wife, From a Doctor's Wife, and D-Isis for Medical Mondays!}

 


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4 comments:

  1. Thanks for linking up with Medical Mondays! I am impressed that you went on all the away rotations - that is adventuresome:-)

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  2. I TOTALLY relate to the bogged down with chores, household thing and how getting out is healthy. That is CRAZY that you went, but it sounds like it was a blast. What fun memories....good luck on y'alls adventure. :)

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  3. new reader found you through medical monday! added you to the list and look forward to reading. love the pics!

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  4. I hear you when you about getting out of the house... and leaving to just pick up the kids doesn't count!
    So happy to see you linking up with us for Medical Monday! Thanks!

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