I've NOT missed even one day of work in eight years. I've not been sick-- at least not sick enough to miss work. I've had a few head colds down through the years. Not many.
Not being sick, coupled with a boss who is EXCELLENT at working with me to adjust my schedule for other situations where I need to be off has made it possible for me to work the number of hours he wants me there to work each week. (In asking for adjustments, I always make sure that I will be there at the times I'm MOST needed.)
Amazingly, I have been sick. Quite sick. Two times. Both times the sickness lasted several days. However, it just so happened both times, I was on a scheduled vacation.
One year of not missing a day was good. Two was better.
When it got to five, I began to feel the challenge of seeing just how long this streak of good fortune could last.
Something else kicked in as well. I began to do things to help me continue my streak of good fortune.
I took vitamins, avoided getting very close to people who were sick, used hand sanitizer when bouts of viruses began to make their rounds. A few of those years, I got a flu shot.
And I began to be a whole lot more careful about what leftovers I ate. (I have quite a reputation for making use of leftovers--my own and others' contributions.) I had read that in many cases what most people think is a virus is nothing more than a mild case of food poisoning. I wanted to be sure I avoided that kind of illness. That could definitely be avoidable.
Anyway, now I'm challenged to see if I can make it to TEN years without missing.
Add to that another challenge.
It kind of crept up on me.
I didn't intend it. It just kind of happened.
That is, posting on my blog every day.
I had just always kinda plopped down here after work for a long, long time anyway because by the end of my work day, I really didn't want to WORK any more. And I liked the number of choices I had to "investigate" sitting here. It wasn't hard for me to add blogging to my collection of ways to entertain my (tired) self--in 2006.
But, after I realized that I had gone awhile blogging daily, it became somewhat of a challenge to see just how long I could do it.
I'm sure there will come a point that I'll just have a mental burnout and be able to think of absolutely nothing at all to say, but right now I still see it as a "contest" with myself--somewhat like my streak of not missing work.
However, I've come to the conclusion, if I'm going to keep up with this challenge and take on some other ones too, I'm going to have to simplify my approach.
The main reason I'm even thinking about it is because of the other challenges I need to take on. Walking is the main thing I want to take more time for. And I just can't do that while I'm sitting here. And I really do NEED to take time to walk. It's the best way to get regular exercise.
I just do NOT get anywhere near the walking exercise I used to at work since I'm in scrapbooking. There's SO MUCH work there that I don't get away from those aisles much. And a lot of what I do requires minimal movement. A few steps forward--when ordering. Standing still and pricing--which gives a break from hauling the freight to the floor, but is NOT exercise. Pretty much staying in front of the same section-- when resetting. We have more cashiers to handle the front now, so I'm not called to the front near as much as I used to be. It all adds us to very low numbers when counting steps.
That, plus the fact that I'm really trying right now to be a help to Jeni. (I love Jeni. She's a great blessing to me and I hate it so much that she has SO MUCH pain to deal with because of the RA.) So, on Tuesdays and Fridays, I'm using what would be the my home time to go to her house and stay with the kids while she keeps her appointments. Hopefully, she will get some relief.
And I'm still hoping to be somewhat of a help to Sister Debra. And every other Sunday, I'm still trying to be sure Sister Ginger and Shane realize that they are welcome to eat with me and spend Sunday afternoon so they won't have to return to Hanceville between services.
I'm not able to get Blake nearly as much as I'd like to on my Saturdays off. So much other stuff
seems to come up that takes my time.NONE OF IT is housework.
I finally broke down and called in some "troops" to see if I could get a little help getting some of that done. Hopefully, we can work out an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial.
My MAIN challenge is going to be getting hold of myself and making me WALK. I'm trying to get my head in gear for that right now.
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