New Year's Meme

Because I’m not risking my life on the snow-covered roads, I have the time and energy to reflect on a meme on which I was tagged by one of my blogger friends:

Outside my window … A decidedly non-snowy day. It’s definitely January and freezing cold in Chicago, but it’s not snowing.

I am thinking … that as much as I love the holiday season, I love the “ordinariness” of January, too. After New Year’s, Jack and I always put our noses to the perpetual grind stone and work our butts off from January-May.

I am thankful for … new family memories created and old family relationships strengthened on New Year’s Eve. As foreign as I am to my family, I am now assured that they love me and support me, no matter my future career path. I’m also thankful for the sudden peace that’s overtaken my being and mitigated any fear I have over the future and its utter unpredictability.

I am hoping … that I can stick to my resolutions and stop making excuses, no matter how insignificant they seem (now what are those excuses why I cannot go to the gym? My shoes are in my trunk? That’s not working any longer! Go get ‘em, you weirdo who signed up for a 100 floor stair climbing race in four short weeks!)

On my mind … I read a book about “candor” when I first started my job. One of my mentors suggested the book to me, so I could understand our top execs’ motivation for revealing certain business plans and details. I keep revisiting this idea of candor, wanting to become a candid, uncomplicated, non-pretending, honest person…As often as I can.

Noticing that … a lot of people thrive on drama or somehow relish it. It’s refreshing to find people who also mitigate drama.

A few plans for the week … to jump back into my ‘usual’ routine as all the administrators are back in the office. I have three key meetings with Chicagoan academic centers and I hope they go well. The future of our stroke program depends upon it! I also have a core four-hour Six Sigma meeting that I’m leading, an all-day training course at another Muppet hospital, and I have to get the stroke standing orders passed the internal medicine, Medical Exec, and Pharmacy committees. Good thing I made that resolution to take one relaxing bath a week…although, I may have to SCHEDULE the bath in my blackberry calendar.

From the kitchen … leftover ham and bean soup and then back my stash of Lean Cuisines, faithfully gathering ice in my Chicagoland fridge.

Around the house … Jack and I ‘de-Christmas-ed’ the house on New Year’s Day and took the opportunity to do a thorough dusting and vacuuming. It’s official, we’re now starting to pack up needless clutter and organize the basement, just in case we have to sell in spring.

One of my favorite things …not having to leave my house…staring out the wide windows and watching the fat clusters of snowflakes drift gracefully down. As the sun sets, lighting a fire in the fireplace, sipping a glass of merlot, listening to relaxing jazz, and curling up with a good book (or a good husband). Since I just lambasted lake-effect snow, my second favorite thing is to work really, really hard, push through obstacles galore, then watch the waves roll in from the beach, sipping a margarita, listening to Kenny Chesney, and curling up with a good book (or a good husband)!