STAY IN MY LANE

I have been reflecting on what will happen in 2025, and how my life will change.  I always make lists because I don't want to forget or miss anything.  I have a daily "to-do" list, although I hardly complete the tasks on my list...  This time, I think I will make a lists of how I will change my lifestyle for 2025.

1.  STAY ON MY LANE.  I am usually assigned tasks to trouble-shoot problems areas.  In the past, this has spread me thinly to the point that I am not as efficient as I could have been.  My boss had announced during the budget proposal hearing this past month that I would be relieved of being the division chief of the Professional Allied Health Services so that I could focus on research.  This I will do, and on this I will focus.

2.  HEALTH AND WELLNESS.  I have always tried to promote health and wellness because this is MY weakness.  I wake up with severe arthritis, especially on my left hand so much so that I feel like a child again doing "close open, close open" exercises.  I need to watch my diet and exercise regularly to lose excess body weight.  I also deal with menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, so I need to focus on preventing other long term complications from menopause.

3.  QUALITY FAMILY TIME.  Realizing that I am dispensable at work, I need to focus on the people that really matter to me.  Family is forever.  Despite the quarrels and disagreements, family stick together.  Relationships need to be nurtured, so family time needs to be regarded as sacred.

4.  MENTAL HEALTH.  I have always used work as crutch to battle loneliness and depression.  Although I do enjoy one-on-one discussions with friends, colleagues and co-workers, I need to develop new coping skills in order to develop other aspects of my life, like my private practice, my hobbies and recreational activities.

5.  RETIREMENT.  I will reach midlife in a few years.  I need to streamline my investments and make wiser decisions on resource management.  It is true that being single and alone allows us to achieve more in terms of work, but when we grow old, we will be alone and highly dependent on others to take care of us.