Picking up directly from last week’s post, had I not experienced a couple of episodes of feeling crappy the month prior, the appointment with my doctor and the blood test that led to being admitted to hospital wouldn’t have happened. In that scenario, it is very likely I wouldn’t be alive today to write my story.
"Heart Failure."
As I came to learn, these two words are an umbrella term for many different ailments that impact the heart’s ability to function properly. Now, these words are just as much part of my identity as others that make me, me.
Hearing those words for the first time took place early in the day on September 8, 2023, after a night in the emergency room.
And just like that, here we are – 2023. This is the first time I’ve sat down with the intent to write a post since Halloween. By the time I wrote that post in Banff, I was already running on fumes. By the last months of 2022, I could feel myself heading towards burnout and it really impacted some of the things that make me who I am including my creativity and both my optimism and positivity.
Just before the pandemic, burnout was brewing. I desperately wanted to hit the red STOP button on the treadmill of full-time office life. I was exhausted, bored at work, tired of the prep, commute, the grind, and Groundhog Day. When ordered home, I got to experience a life with flexibility. And I loved it.
Gareth and I are conference buddies. Seeking each other out at a student affairs conference, hearing about what each is learning in the sessions and hallways conversations, finding time to connect around work and life things, smiling at the annual connection that feels like more. Like many things affected by the pandemic, our opportunity to be in-person conference buddies has been put on hold.