1- I should always trust your book recs!
Since American Royals #3 was not yet available via Libby, I started this recommended novel:
2- Planner News: Cultivate Planner?
I received this in my email (and checked – they also posted on Insta so I’m not leaking anything, lol). A Cultivate What Matters planner seems to be on the horizon – very interesting. I just hope they continue to put the effort and energy into their PowerSheets Goal Planner because it is such a unique (and in my experience, helpful) product! According to the email, more details will be out July 19! Exciting.
3- I did well with my own reactivity yesterday!
I received a consult at a far-flung hospital within our system (we mainly cover the main children’s hospital but also do consults at 2 others, specifically in the NICU). I admit I have in the past gotten really indignant about having to make the drive, but yesterday I was much more calm, and honestly doing that consult was downright pleasant — at this hospital, they always are so nice + grateful when consultants make the effort to drive out there promptly.
AND the baby was super cute. At my current stage of life, I am a bit meh about toddlers but I will never tire of newborns!
Things that helped: Minimizing other responsibilities at home, being physically comfortable (scrubs again!), remembering that it doesn’t matter if I get home slightly later (I think I somehow get stuck in a pattern of thinking that I have some kind of deadline, which is leftover from when our kids were much younger and our nanny’s hours much longer).
4- Running in the Alps
I’m almost certainly never going to do this, but it was super interesting to hear Trevor’s race report. And that is coming from someone who is not usually into race reports! I guess it was just fun to think of him as a ‘regular’ person (he does not follow a super hardcore training regimen, and admits it!) doing such a tough athletic feat.
5- S-Call weekend with Josh off
I feel like this combo is a rarity and I am looking forward to it! Especially since we still only have one kid at home. He and G will get to have some quality 1:1 time, will be cute to see what they come up with to do together. Will report back.
Oh, and we got to chat with Annabel yesterday!!! She seemed happy and more mature somehow and stated she would like to return to camp next year. We get to see both kids in ~1 week at visiting day (and then camp ends a week later). Thus far, I’m very happy we went for it this year.
14 Comments
Glad you are loving Lessons in Chemistry! I’m having planner nostalgia for the Quovadis Eurotext daily I used whilst studying in France, but am feeling salty about the £10 shipping to the UK.
The marathon in the alps sounds intense, but you could totally train for something like that if you wanted! I’ve thought about doing some “famous” open water distance swims off and on for years now. I guess what’s holding me back is I don’t really like swimming freestyle continuously for hours (and I’m afraid of deep water).
I’ve been reflecting on your post yesterday a bit Sarah, and honestly, I just think sometimes people just aren’t in a very good place in life and seeing someone who they perceive has it “better” than they have it just rubs them the wrong way even if that person did nothing wrong. As a doctor you are a prime target for this sort of resentment. Also it’s super easy to think, “Well, if I were a doctor I wouldn’t find call to be a big deal at all. I would just be so rich and everything would be easy. She is just ungrateful,” because they have never experienced it themselves. Not trying to say doctors shouldn’t be grateful, but being one certainly doesn’t guarantee 100% life awesomeness.
Anyway, I’m in the keep-doing-what-you’re- doing camp. Yours is really the only blog I read regularly anymore, and I do look forward to hearing about y how things are going in your life each week. I find it a lot more relatable and less fake than every other blog out there.
This made me giggle: “I guess what’s holding me back is I don’t really like swimming freestyle continuously for hours (and I’m afraid of deep water).” Haha, yes, those two issues might be a serious problem when it comes to swimming a distance open water event! 😉 That wouldn’t be for me, either. Although, if you really want to, I’m sure you could overcome those fears somehow.
I like the idea of Sarah training for a marathon in the Alps by running up and down the ramps of a South Florida parking garage. Florida mountains 😉
Totally agree with this (both the long distance swim in deep water and your thoughts on Sarah’s post yesterday).
This is why we need your blog voice back <3
Also while I am not really thinking Alps are in the cards, I am eyeing Big Sur marathon. Might be my equivalent . . .
I agree with OMDG’s sentiment above. Probably years ago, Gretchen Ruben talked about envy/jealousy on Happier and said those feelings typically reveal more about ourselves than the person they envy. So if you can use that to reflect on what you might change or reframe for yourself, it can be really helpful. I’m in a different industry but can get “must be nice” type of comments since I do work in a well-compensated industry. But I put up with a lot of not-so-great stuff and it requires a certain kind of personality. And I worked really hard to get to where I am. Nothing was “given” to me. I put in a ridiculous number of hours to get my CFA designation which is a 3 year process that required a lot of sacrifice (I studied 6 days a week for 20-25 hours total for 5 months of the year on top of my working 50ish hours/week). I am very lucky to have the role I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have hard days that warrant some venting.
I am glad you are enjoying Lessons in Chemistry! I’ve read 54 books so far this year and that one stands out as my favorite! I just loved Elizabeth Zott so so much, and the dog and her precocious child!! And I really love that it’s the debut of an author in her 60s! Very cool to see that you can try something new and be very successful at any age. It’s going to be made into a tv show, I think on Apple TV. I imagine there are aspects of the story you can relate to since you also work in a male-dominated industry (although maybe peds is less male dominated?).
” I just think sometimes people just aren’t in a very good place in life and seeing someone who they perceive has it “better” than they have it just rubs them the wrong way even if that person did nothing wrong.”
This totally resonates with me. There were a few years when I was going through some tough/confusing things and – for my mental health – I had to stop following several blogs and even people I know and like personally in real life on social media. On the other side of it, I can see that my feelings and reactions to what was being written had way more to do with my own situation than anything the writer was doing. I don’t think the content has changed, but I simply don’t feel so negatively anymore.
So, I actually sympathize a lot with that commenter. Not that you are responsible for her negative feelings or did anything intentionally to contribute to them. There’s probably nothing you could have written that would have been perceived any differently. But it’s tough and sad to be in the position of reading about someone else’s life thinking “If only that were me, all my problems would be solved…”.
ANYWAY… I feel like I need to get on the Lessons in Chemistry train. I didn’t love the sample of the audiobook and Audible reviews are so darn negative that I’ve resisted so far, but it’s gotten so much great word of mouth.
I was thinking the other day that although the 4 weeks at camp kind of “sounds” so long at first, I bet it is actually flying by!! Both for them, having so much fun, and for you guys, since you’ve been busy, too. They’ll probably both seem a whole year older in maturity when they come home.
I just finished Lessons in Chemistry on audio last night! I really enjoyed it but as I wrote in my Goodreads review, “WOW I am so glad not to be a woman living through the 1960s” although I am thankful to be reminded of what the reality was for women because it’s so important to remember that that wasn’t that long ago.
Loving these camp updates! Reminds me of my beloved 3 weeks I used to spend at YMCA camp every summer, canoeing, doing crafts, all those fun things. Of course there was no Skype back then so my parents would write me letters, which were always a highlight.
I’m in such a different place in my life than you (totally different career path, 1 kid on the way) that I read roses & thorns of your daily life and don’t often feel the comparison. We can both have it extremely good and acknowledge that sometimes life is death by 1000 paper cuts. Also if you wiped all the complaining and gripes from the Internet there sure wouldn’t be a lot left! I do occasionally feel jealous of your winter running situation but coming from the Midwest that’s understandable.
I’m also not into race report and passed this one… now I’m intrigued. will listen it for my easy run today. thanks! Trevor is such a chill guy.
Hi Sara! Can I ask how you selected the summer camp for the kids this year? We are considering sleep away summer camp for our two boys and seems tough to select a camp based on reviews, etc. Although my husband wants to send them to the camp he went to as a kid outside of Philly in the Catskills. My boys will be 10 and 8 when they go next year. So glad Annabel is enjoying her time there!
Also just a quick note to you – I love your blog because you are real and share your real professional and family experiences. I am not in the medical field at all and work in cybersecurity at a large bank – but I struggle with 2 crazy boys everyday and know I can come to your blog and relate to your stories and daily life. I completely agree about other blogs being almost too perfect which can be a turn off. Thanks for keeping it real 🙂
Hi! We actually picked it because we have a family connection so the kids get to see their cousins. But i know there are even camp consultants that can help you pick!