Monday - Not a Snow Day in Sight

I am finally heading back to work today with the promise of low precipitation for the next five days. As long as I can get out of my driveway, I should be able to traverse the highway system with little to no difficulty. At least, that's what the highway website says.

I am ready to get back into a work/life routine. Having this past week away from work has made me get ready to be doing something other than wandering my house, and that is a feeling that has been missing from my life for about seven years now - ever since we changed our work schedules significantly to have a week off in the middle of the summer session. We have the same amount of time off but it is arranged in smaller durations which means that I never really get bored with being at home anymore. We used to have enough time that I would finish up chores at home and then get antsy to be back in my music therapy environment, and that no longer happens. This past week has been a gift.

When I get to work today, armed with a PB/J sandwich, a fizzy drink, my water ration for the next several days, my cut filled with ice, and my Kindle, phone, and purse, I will wade through all of my emails, deleting most of them. I will update my documentation to reflect that we had an entire week of snow days, and then check my country of the month slideshow to make sure that it still works. I will probably need to rearrange some of the snow day things that I leave out and available all the time, but who knows? I have some new labels to use to help me organize - my sister and mom gifted me with about 480 Star Wars labels at Christmas. I have enough labels to sticker everything at work and everything at home as well. I also have lots of snow focused books and therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) to pull out and use as needed. I feel confident in my session strategies and am ready to get going.

I have only worked one day so far this month at my job.

I have made several casseroles, figured out lunches for this week, cleaned up my craft corner, hung pictures and shelves all over the place, unpacked several boxes, and read my library books. I have cleaned my oven, washed dishes and more dishes, and talked to my family members. I have cried. I have giggled. I took two naps - only two naps! I have spent lots of time looking at school closing lists. I have shoveled snow and more snow off my driveway, trying my best to keep my snow on my side of the driveway and not putting it onto my neighbor's space (we share the driveway since we share a duplex). I have had several deliveries made of things that I ordered before the blizzard, but those drivers have dropped things off at my front door or in my mailbox through the snow and ice. I have set up my vacuum again, and he has been roaming the upstairs every morning around 7am. Plenty of things are done, but there is still plenty to do here.

But, I am ready to leave here and go back to my work routine.

I have about 30 minutes before I head out to work. I have finished my emailing, my social media checks are complete, and now I just have some time to enjoy. I am not a cozy morning routine type of person. I don't drink hot beverages, and I don't eat breakfast foods in the morning (I know, but I love breakfast food in the evening!). I could heat up some spaghetti casserole for breakfast, but I probably won't. 

I have fasting labs tomorrow afternoon, so I need to make some reminder signs for my office and my car to remind me of the appointment. I usually have these things done on weekends, but the lab is no longer doing weekend appointments, so it is a Tuesday afternoon for me! I will need to put my food into cabinets so I can't see it tomorrow. 

For now, though, I can have some time to get myself ready for whatever my clients throw at me. It is a five group day - no individuals because I am not ready for individuals today. I will schedule them into my week later on. I will see who has left and who has been admitted in the past week. We tend to have lots of turnover during the first several weeks of January, so I anticipate that there will be several new kids and several students who have left. That means updating all of my document folders. Ooh - updating documents!!

This is getting goofy, so it is time to head upstairs to finish my getting ready routine. I will gather my stuff together, inch down my driveway, and head to work. It is more than past time to get back into my work routine. 

I've missed it.

Happy Monday.

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