Normal

 I've been thinking lately about what is meant by the term"normal."  

It first occurred to me when I was looking at a set of lab results from a blood test.  For every thing tested there was a "normal range."  Noticing that a few of my readings were outside of that range I queried my doctor about whether I should be concerned.  "Oh no," he replied, "We don't worry until the number reaches X." In this case X was a number waaay higher than the top of the normal range.  So, normal is all relative.  There is "normal" and there is "higher than normal" and there is "concerningly higher than normal."

Waiting at the "deli counter"

 I've been spending a lot of time in medical offices over the past year. I think hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices could use a good systems engineer.

At one office I go to a treatment center and then have a follow up visit with a nurse practitioner. When I check in at the clinic they affix a label to an index card that I am to pass on to the NP check in desk.  Why?  Who knows.

At the oral surgeons, I check in and they give me a tiny piece of paper that I am to give to the dental assistant who calls my name.  Why?  Who knows.

At radiology, they no longer call for you by name after checking in, but give you a little ticket just like the ones you get at the supermarket deli counter.  The assistant comes out and calls for "605!."  However, if nobody answers, they follow that up with "Smith?"  I suppose they could look like raffle tickets.  Which is better, "I'd like a pound of sliced liver," or "Hurray! I won a CT scan today!"?  At least they don't have that little digital display you anxiously watch count up to your number, "Now scanning number 237."

 Of course at each of these offices they ask for my name and birth date at check in. Given the need to speak loudly due to masks and the open seating, I can tell you the age of every other person sitting in the room.  So much for privacy there!

 It is amazing that in the day of high tech, the patient is still carrying around these little slips of paper. When my father was staying at a rehab institution, all medical records were conveyed by fax.  Are medical offices the sole remaining users of fax machines? 

The post-Cuomo encounters

 Recently my university opened its doors to students and faculty for the first time since March 2020. It is great to see so many people back on campus and we are doing a good job with safety, over 90% of faculty, staff, and students are vaccinated and masks are required in indoor spaces.

With opening comes many first of the year celebrations.  A few weeks ago I presided over our science departments' student research poster presentations, followed by a BBQ.  It was a happy and joyous event, and both our university president and provost stopped by to congratulate students and meet faculty.  Of course, this was a great photo opportunity.

Posing with the president and provost, both male, I detected a bit of uncertainty on their parts as to what the appropriate stance should be. Arms across the back, waist, or shoulder?  No physical contact?  Wait for me to initiate any contact?  There was this awkward little dance of arms up, arms down, arms touching, not touching.  There was absolutely nothing that made me uncomfortable, but I can see how the Cuomo situation has trickled down.  

Maybe it is good for us all to have to think about how we touch each other in professional settings?

Don't sweat the small stuff....

My father had a saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff!"

I'm trying to keep that in mind these days.  Last week I had a medical test scheduled and preceding the test there were some mix-ups and confusion around the scheduling which required a few phone calls and emails to resolve. I admit to having a mild obsession with time and calendars and schedules. I don't like to be late, I like to know what's coming up, I like to have a plan.  While the confusion was not super critical I noticed that it bothered me more than I would have expected (even with my obsession!)  Then it dawned on me.  Instead of worrying about the test, I was worrying about the schedule.  Instead of sweating the big stuff, I was sweating the small stuff.

Tomorrow I get the results of the test.  This week, so far, I've completely missed 2 of 3 scheduled meetings at work. They were on my calendar, I just didn't look, didn't remember, didn't attend.  That is very uncharacteristic of me.  I can come up with excuses (poor communication, bad night of sleep), but given my previously noted obsession(!) missing meetings is both out of character and upsetting.  So....it dawned on me that maybe I have more anxiety about getting the results than I realize. Maybe instead of sweating the small stuff or the big stuff, I've just stopped sweating altogether! 

I'll be glad when tomorrow is over and I can once again confine my sweating to the gym.

(This is what I actually look like at the gym! ha, ha, ha)

Minimalist Part 2

 This essay was in the NY Times.  I admit to renting a storage space....

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/opinion/family-possessions-storage-units.html?smid=url-share

The Minimalist Life

 In preparing to sell my Chicago condo, I was encouraged to create a minimalist vibe.  "Less is more," my realtor advised.  I cleared off every horizontal service.  My kitchen counters held only a toaster, and sugar and flour canisters.  The basket of fruits and vegetables that don't get refrigerated was tucked into a cupboard (and resulted in me nearly forgetting I had bananas to be eaten!) My recycling bin was stuck under the sink.  All of my toiletries that were normally stored on the vanity counter were either stuck in drawers or into a small basket that I could stow in the linen closet.  TV remotes were in a side table drawer (luckily that table had a drawer!)  My free weights, yoga strap, and yoga blocks were in a storage ottoman.  My desk was clear, no papers, no pens, no mail.  My dining room table had no salt or pepper shakers, no paper napkins, no placemat.

It was bliss.  

I've been through this before, after refinishing the floors or painting rooms.  I am seduced by the zen-like feeling of space and openness. I vow to keep this minimalist style.  But, slowly, things creep out of hiding. It is easier to keep the dish towels on the oven door handle than under the sink. It is easier to keep a pad of paper and pen on the table so I can make lists and notes than to continually get them out and put them away.  So far, I've managed to keep the remotes in the drawer, the exercise equipment hidden, and the toiletries in a basket (although it sits on the counter, not in the closet). Maybe these small steps will carry forward.

And, while I decluttered I did not necessarily discard.  Much of what was on the walls or shelves, in the cupboards or closets, is now in boxes in storage.  Some things will make their way to my new home, and I have donated boxes and bags of belongings, but others are destined to outlive me in boxes.  Yet, I find it difficult to part with them.  How can I get rid of the favorite picture books I remember reading to my sons?  How can I throw out their kindergarten art work?  Souvenirs from my trip to Russia in 1978?  Play programs from high school musicals? Photos of houses where I've lived?  I don't need to see them everyday, even every year, but I like knowing that they are there, somewhere.  Those things help me tell the story of my life--the Mother's Day cards I made when I was 3, the Mother's Day cards my sons made when they were 3, and now the Grandmother cards from my grandson. Marie Kondo I am not.

Truly Random Thoughts

 1. I must be aging, I now prefer Girl Scout Trefoil cookies.  As a scout, I could never understand why someone would buy these bland, flavorless cookies.  It seemed they sold best to old ladies....like me.

2. Dealing with a chronic disease takes up too much time. I don't have time to be sick right now.  Monthly dr. appointments that take about 1/2 a day, periodic tests and scans, who has time for this?  I'm trying to plan treatments around vacation time and made this elaborate calendar, but nothing fits right.  I should bite the bullet and miss some work.  Who will notice?

3. Selling a house is a hassle. The realtors ask you to move everything out before you are even ready to move!  I no longer have throw rugs and my cutting boards are in a cupboard. I hope it sells quickly, because I can't live like this.

4.  Having a woman come to clean my house every 2 weeks is the best thing I've ever done (besides investing in inexpensive "bralettes" to wear during Covid work from home). Kristina is wonderful and my bathroom is like a jewel.  Plus, it forces me to pre-clean before she comes!

5. Sitting in my office is a cross-stitch duck I started before my grandson was born. He is 2.5 years old. The duck has no head.