This has been a wonderful week off. I have reconnected with Mackenzi and we have continued to settle into our home.

We spent the first few days of our break at home. Initially, we got into a cleaning-based fervor. The fall equinox passed during a particularly busy stint of clinic days. So, we deferred the seasonal spruce-up of the home until this week. Changed the tapestries, cleaned and mopped floors. Brought ourselves closer to the elusive asymptote of feeling 100% moved in.

Now, as I write this, the house feels a bit more ours. There’s still plenty of decorating and rejiggering of furniture to do, but that can wait until the next week of PTO. Plus, the setup that works well for the summer may not be the setup that works well for the winter.

After our flurry of organization, I had to sit for an exam on Wednesday. The PRITE is a pencil-and-paper exam that most psychiatry residency programs utilize as an assessment for board exam readiness.

I won’t be sitting for the boards for another 3.75yrs (who’s counting?) so the results of this exam just directs me on my areas of weakness. During my week of PTO. The exam itself wasn’t terrible and we were provided a delicious lunch from a nearby Mexican restaurant. I managed to finish the 300 questions quickly so that I could rush home to begin the true vacation!

From Wednesday to Friday, our little family vacationed at Dewey Beach in Delaware. We reserved a quaint little AirBnB on the harbor side. A few minutes walk to the Atlantic Ocean! We brought the pooch and the baby in a very packed car.

Two short nights, three abbreviated days. I wish we could’ve stayed longer, however the exam couldn’t be rescheduled and staying into Saturday would’ve really changed our ability to settle back into the home. So, we enjoyed what we had and pined for a bit more.

I have enjoyed wonderful quality time with Mackenzi over this past week. In some ways, I have forgotten what a lazy day with her feels like. And even then, between the nervous dog and the very active baby, we didn’t have much quiet down time together. Such is parenthood, I believe. We binged some Netflix and ate too much ice cream. We walked along the beach for miles.

What else can I ask for?

More time, perhaps. But isn’t that what we all ask for, when the ending looms and the beginning has not yet begun?

---

Relationally, I feel great. I feel the love coming off my partner and I have spent so much quality time with my family. I couldn’t ask for more.

Emotionally, I feel well. My battery is charged and I am ready for what comes next.

Physically, I feel surprisingly well. I haven’t moved much this week, it has not been the focus, but I have moved enough to feel good in my own meat-suit. I have maintained during this period of recreation, and that’s enough!

Spiritually, I feel okay. Still not where I want to be. I appreciate Mackenzi and her attempts to assist my practices, but I feel like I need a good kick in the butt to really resume these practices myself.

• Relational – 4/5
• Emotional – 4/5
• Physical – 3/5
• Spiritual –2/5

• Total – 13/20
• 3wk running total – 39/60

Long Form Sundays

• On high volume and low processing
• On necessary brevity (or the beginning of Consult Liaison Psych)
• On flexibility (or Emergency Psych: a post-mortem)

On Death Podcast

• With Rashad Malik Davis – 20180329
• With Camille Culbreath – 20190914
• With Tasia Percevecz – 20180830