I had to go back and look at when I last drafted an updated. It was at the end of last year and a few things have happened since then.

Migraines & Neurology

In my last post i shared that I had finally had my first Botox treatment with the Neurologist. I am now on my third treatment and things are going well. My migraines are few and far between. When i do get one it is generally ocular and not painful. With the first treatment my wrinkles also seemed to have magically disappeared. That unfortunately did not continue on with the subsequent treatments. So much for thinking I would have a positive side effect from all of this!

I go back for my 4th treatment in September. My Neurologist told me that if things continue to go as well as they have that she will spread out my treatments a bit more.

Memory & Psychology

Unfortunately I am still struggling with my memory. At this point I am more focused on adapting to the change than trying to resolve it. I know that I need to focus on one thing at a time, especially anything that could be problematic if I forget about it (i.e. cooking, running water, etc.). I can’t walk away from it or I will forget about it. Luckily I have always enjoyed making lists, and this has been even more reason to write things down. Instead of going to the grocery store and forgetting what I need to get, sometimes i forget why i am there. Lists certainly help.

Schedules have also been important. At work I set “focus time” everyday where my phone doesn’t ring for a set amount of time so i can focus on my to-do list and get things done. It’s difficult for me to bounce my focus around all day long so this approach has been a good way for me to maintain my productivity.

We’ve tried a couple of different approaches with my Psychologist that are tied to memory. I certainly struggled with them and decided to put them on the shelf. The focus is acceptance and working with what i have now. Lucky things do not seem to be getting worse anymore, so hopefully I can make do with what I have.

New Family Member

Something extremely exciting has happened to my family. My brother and his girlfriend welcomed a beautiful baby last month. I am an Auntie! My parents are elated to be grandparents and we all seem to be finding excuses for visits. She is so tiny but is getting stronger by the day. I am excited for my brother to have this little one in his life. From what I have seen so far it brings out the best in him.

I am excited to watch her grow. I am so curious about what she will like. Regardless, she will have an Auntie trying to cheer her on always – spelling bees or soccer matches, she’s got a big supporter here.

COVID

With everything that has been going on I have continued to stay home 99% of the time. The province removed all of the restrictions last week but it gives me anxiety to go out into herds of people. I am pretty sure that it did before the pandemic too. I will need to find ways to get myself out and about sooner than later. Our family has been double vaccinated already which is good, but going from zero to a hundred overnight is a big change.

With work, they’ve reevaluated who will need to return to the office when they reopen in January 2022. I have been classified as a At Home position and will only need to go in on occasion. It is another excuse to stay home, but I am somewhat happy about it – I get more sleep, can have more time for hobbies instead of commuting and could make myself fresh muffins anytime. With that in mind, I guess the pandemic hasn’t been all bad.

I am also down to only working one job. I’ve been asked a couple of times when I will start finding more things to keep myself busy. I am not sure that I will, or at least any time soon. I am enjoying the slower pace in the evenings and weekends and not constantly trying to remember what I should be doing to help someone else’s business succeed. Maybe one day I will start my own, but for now I will take it easy.

Living Arrangements

I may have saved my best news for last. It’s been a year and a half since i put my belongings in storage and moved into my parents’ house. Last month i signed a lease on a place nearby and move in next week. I’ve been trying to rack my brain to remember what I have in storage and make a plan for where it will fit in the new place. I will also be working from my new place and will need to make sure i can accommodate that. It’s got way more counter space than my old apartment, so am hopeful that I will be able to re-spark the joy of cooking. There were many trends during the pandemic that I missed out on, such as bread making. I might need to give some of them a try!

I am a bit anxious to live on my own again but i know that I need to spread my wings. I’ve enjoyed working from home with my dad and having lunch together everyday. We’ve had some good chats about current events and i think we have both learned something from each other. My parents’ will only be a few minutes away if I need anything and my brother (more importantly my niece) is nice and close too.

Maybe living on my own will encourage me to be more social too. Time will tell. It gets lonely in my little world on my own. Technically I could get a dog too. As much as I love dogs though, I want to make sure I am ready for that responsibility before diving in.

There are a lot of potential for good things on the horizon. I hope that this is the start of one of my best chapters in life. The last couple have been a bit rough. I am ready for good things. Wish me luck!