So Ready for Down Time!

What is it about the summer time that seems to make life so much busier? I guess it's just that when the weather is warm, people are more willing to dust off the cobwebs from the winter and get out and do something already! Or maybe for me it's the fact that I'm spending this summer in a place near family and friends, instead of the most boring place on earth. My man and I were just discussing the other night how much faster this summer seems to be going than last summer. (Thank God!)

I'm afraid that time is about to come to a screeching halt though, and that is no good when your other half has to be five hours away for 23 more days. (We'll call it three weeks-- that sounds a lot better.) My current contract at Piedmont has just ended on Tuesday, so I'm about to be out of work for at least the next month. Why you ask? Well I kind of strained a back muscle at work about a month and a half ago, and I went ahead and filed for worker's comp, just in case it turned into something worse than I thought. Luckily, there does not seem to be any disc problems, just an overworked lower back muscle. But come to find out, I can't be hired for any new contracts until I am medically released from treatment by the doctor. Right now, I have at least four weeks of physical therapy ahead of me until I even see the doctor again.

I'm really not complaining though. I've been getting pretty burned out over the last year, but have continued to work contracts as long as possible, because it pays so much better than a regular nursing job. And now with this back injury, I am going to have a much needed break from a stressful (mentally and physically) work environment. In the meantime, I plan to put in some job applications for some permanent jobs that will hopefully be easier on the back, and a nice change from the stress of working in the critical care area. I just hope that whatever job I find won't be too boring (which I'm afraid most things will be, compared to what I've been doing for the past six years.)

At any rate, I'm looking forward to having some down time. It will be nice to try and get myself onto a little bit of a workout schedule-- it's been months since I've had any kind of routine exercise. Hopefully the physical therapy will be able to help me get on track with some exercise that will be safe for and help strengthen my back. Maybe I can do some more work on the house, as long as it does not require heavy lifting. I'm just hoping I can find something to keep me busy enough to make the next three weeks go by as quick as possible-- I need my man back!