a long-winded life update

I won't bore you with the monotony of "why I haven't been posting" because I'm sure you know the drill - it's simply been a busy season of life. You know the drill: 32-40 hours a week at my externship, working two nights a week, schoolwork (ish), studying (ish), social life. For awhile there, I just hadn't felt inspired to write about anything going on...it happens!

Side note, this post is a whole lot of rambling, so bear with me.

(I may get hospital heavy here for a second, but I'll move on to other life topics, so just scroll on down if you aren't interested!)

I had the luxury of sleeping in until 8:30 this morning because we've recently discharged patients in our 9 a.m. & 9:45 a.m. MWF slots, which administration has yet to fill...which means I'm drinking coffee on my couch at 9:15 a.m. on a Wednesday. What a life, my friends. It's the little things.

Flash back about four years ago, and working at a hospital is an opportunity I never even knew I wanted to have...but here I am with less than a month left at my first externship, and what a whirlwind it has been.

• I recently had a geriatric patient with aphasia (an acquired disease that causes an individual to lose the ability to express or understand speech from brain damage after a stroke) call me a smart ass. 
• I've had a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury go from naming maybe 1-2 fruits when prompted to list 3 before naming off colors instead...now he's naming 5-6 all on his own without perseverations. 
• I've had patient's husbands and family members cry in sessions when it truly hits that this version of their loved one is their new reality, whether it's their inability to naturally speak after a laryngectomy, or the fact that they can no longer enjoy thin liquids like coffee or regular water because they're silently aspirating (when food & liquid goes down "the wrong pipe" into your lungs, but your brain isn't giving you any semblance of alert...it's super serious and even deadly).
• I shadowed inpatient and acute care for the first time the other day (I'm normally in outpatient rehab)...definitely a different can of worms than I'm used to. I always thought it was kind of cheesy and cliche to tell someone "be thankful for your health." I was naive enough to think that being healthy was simply the "baseline." I am here to tell you: BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR HEALTH, FRIENDS. 

Long story short, I see so much every day - inspiring things, depressing things, stuff that makes me laugh, stuff that disturbs me so deeply that I actually have nightmares about it. It has certainly given me a new perspective on so many things, and for that I am very grateful.

Moving on to not hospital-related items...

I've been reading a lot, and I think I'm starting to like my Kindle more than I like carrying around a real book. Well, to some extent. My little Kindle Paper White fits so perfectly into my scrub pockets, so reading on my lunch break or the shuttle to and from TGH has been my favorite way to pass the time. So far this year, I've read:

1. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - loved loved loved it.
2. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella - cute story, light easy read.
3. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen - even though I'm getting closer to 30 years old, I still have a place in my heart for young adult, especially Sarah Dessen. However, was not a big fan of this one.
4. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld - entertaining enough, but kind of meh.

For some reason, I've been on a chick-lit kick lately. I think I was getting burnt out on murder mysteries and thrillers because a few months back, I felt so stressed out that I didn't want to add a complicated, mind-twisting fictional story to the mix. Now I'm starting to get a little burnt out "light reads," so we'll see where I end up next!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I finally met one of my first blog friends, Chelsea, from The Girl Who Loved To Write. Yes, she is just as superb in person, and I feel lucky to call her a friend! She's as kind and humorous as she comes across in her blog, with a little bit of good-hearted snark around the edges...aka my kinda girl. If you don't follow her already, you should definitely start!

Other things I've been doing/working on/thinking about/doing/getting ready for:

• Tweaking my resume and starting to think about where I want to apply for jobs. Graduation is less than four months away!
• Our upcoming trip to North Carolina for one of my best friends' wedding! I am in desperate need of a little vacation.
• I'm finally caught up on This Is Us (brb, bawling my eyes out), and I just started Life Sentence (okay so far, we'll see if I stick to it). 
• I've been practicing my jump roping every time I go to the gym and I'm starting to get kind of fancy with it. I finally learned how to do a double-under, and I can do three in a row now (sometimes).

What have you guys been up to lately? And if you're a loyal reader (or a new one!), is there anything you'd like to read about on here? Looking for a bit of inspiration around these parts!