Days 245-258: Compassion Refueling

I have not had the desire to blog in quite some time as noted by only posting about once a week until the two week hiatus.  I was tired and stressed.  There has been a lot going on, and not all of it super positive.  I got to hit the reset button last week at the AAHPM annual assembly in Boston, MA.  The annual assembly is the yearly conference for hospice and palliative medicine practitioners.  I say practitioners because it is more than just doctors.  It's social works, NPs, PAs, RNs, chaplains.  Anyone who has an interest in HPM.  I think having the interdisciplinary approach improves the conference greatly.  You get a variety of perspectives and approaches to the care provided to our patients.  There also is an understanding that to provide great care, you have to foster the creative side of each of us.  I got to color with crayons, play with therapy dogs, write poetry, go to book club, escape a room with a team of other HPM practioners by completing many different puzzles.  It was the best conference I have ever been to.  There was a perfect balance of education and wholesome fun.  We laughed and learned together.  It was a sharing of ideas across disciplines that allows for a more holistic approach to patient care.

It also gave me a break from wedding planning, trying to figure out taxes, and the drama that comes out around the time of a wedding.  It was a welcome break.  I have been stressing about how I was going to get my taxes done because I have additional taxes thanks to my moonlighting.  There are several forms that I have needed to complete in preparation for the wedding.  We haven't taken the time to complete any of them, and then the number of emails to keep straight has been unreal.  I got to forget all of that for a little while.  I got to refuel for my job.

Today has been spent listing out what I needed to get done now that I'm back in Winston.  LOML and I are at the 6 week mark for the wedding.  We finally submitted the form for the ceremony musicians.  We emailed the DJ about dates to meet but are still working on the plan for the reception.We have completed the form for the photographer but need to send the picture planner and the timeline.  We have a tasting date, but need to double check the date for the walk-through.  We are still waiting to hear back from the officiant regarding the ceremony LOML and I created.  It's so funny how the little details take over at the end when LOML and I should be focused on supporting each other as we prepare to become man and wife.  I am so excited to be his wife.  I have to keep focusing on the importance of that statement.