Loss, Transitions, New Beginnings, and Being Grateful

Loss, Transitions, New Beginnings, and Being Grateful

There has been a lot going on and I just couldn't write about it for a while. It is still kind of hard. Our family lost our dear father just after Thanksgiving and I am both grateful to have been there, and so heartbroken to lose our kind father. I'm thankful that my siblings and I were there to help Dad, and each other, through this transition. Having brothers and sisters that I can count on, and who could count on me, in this situation was such a blessing. We had a beautiful last Thanksgiving with Dad. I am so very grateful.

I have also moved on to a new job, which is supposed to be part time. However I have not worked part time yet and it looks like it will be full time through the end of the month at least. I'm hoping that the part time schedule will happen soon, so I have a little more wiggle room to work on my health and resting. The job is much closer to home and has already allowed me to go to the gym and get home at a decent hour, so the improvement is felt already. I really think it was a good move. I love the team I work with, they're hardworking, kind, smart and funny. Again, I am grateful.

It's interesting that the job change has given me a different outlook on my future. I’d been in the same job for about eight years and I thought I might actually retire from that same job at some point. However, this change has opened up my mind to new possibilities. I'm looking at my work future in a different way. Perhaps I might want to start my own business at some point, or find a work from home job later on, or maybe have a job that I don't even know exists yet. Not that I think that I need to make a change right away, or that I don't think I could be happy where I am now. It's just that the transitions was not as hard as I thought it would be and that gets me thinking that maybe there something out there in my future worth taking the risk for....What could it be? What could I do? It's kind of liberating.

On the health front, I'm doing OK. I've had a few flares during the stressful and emotional times, but all in all I am going OK. Still learning how to manage Lupus and my triggers. Learning how to protect myself from infection and illness around other people and at work. The work change has helped and I've joined the YMCA where I've been able to do low impact exercise and swimming to try to keep healthy without triggering flares. So far, so good.

The thing I really feel the need to work on is getting back to my social life. I've been sequestering myself since my diagnosis and I miss seeing my people. It's difficult to plan for outings or make dates when I'm not sure how I'm going to feel, or if others might share an illness without meaning to, but I think things have settled down a bit and I need to make an effort to connect with my friends and family more. So that's my goal for now. Keep healthy and see my people.