Shingles & Springles

My life has given me a wake-up call: take it easy and sleep more. After a busy, sleep-deprived first half year, I am ready to R & R for summer. Sleep deprived? With a 10-year-old? No, just trying to live out my dreams of academic excellence at age 42. I am in my first year of a PhD in Public Health. And yes, I was trying to work two jobs--one of which had me traveling across the state and the other of which I wanted to make sure I appeared competent (the former: contract writer/trainer for the State Office of Education and the latter: a research assistant for a family practioner/associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine).

And so, last week I came down with what I thought was an infected bug bite but turned out to be shingles. Embarrassed to say I even had a "case" since compared to the pictures I viewed on the web, mine was very mild. Yes, irritating and annoying but barely visible and certainly not debilitating. What the shingles did for me was to say "You need to sign up for less and get more rest."

And so, life has been good. Hanging out in the garden with Lucky and our two dogs. Planning weekend hikes and backpacking trips. Trying out new recipes and paying attention to house details. My simple goal for the summer: work when I am at work, relax when I am at home or on vacation. Simply read a few good books, something I haven't done for what seems like years.