Well, I was up at 4 am today. Partly due to anxiety over my class which starts today and partly due to my back hurting. I will need to schedule another chiropractic appointment for this week. It will be my third one in the last two weeks. Golfing of all things seemed to have thrown everything out of alignment. I got a bulged disc in my lower back 8 years ago from being overweight, inactive, and having a weak core. I continue to deal with the ramifications of that. I am still overweight and have a weak core but I am working on it.
Every new class is anxiety-inducing because each assignment sounds overwhelming and impossible until you begin. That is the strange thing about fear. It is always scary from a distance but once you get up close it usually isn’t too bad and definitely not impossible. This is my first addictions class for my Ph.D., and from the looks of the objectives, I’ll be learning about the criteria for addiction, addiction models, treatment options, and psychosocial impacts. There is no core textbook so it looks like I’ll be learning from current research articles. I’ve already reached out to my new professor and hope to schedule a time to meet him tomorrow or Wednesday.
My upcoming week will be a balance of good and hard. I have a couple of recovery commitments, while they take up valuable time, it keeps me grounded and humble. I potentially will be spending some time with a friend during the week this week fishing, dependent on the weather. Florida afternoon storm showers have returned. Friday evening I get to set up at the Art Walk. I always look forward to that event. It is an avenue of potential extra income every month but I also get to spend time with my friend, meet some new people, and hopefully add some smiles to strangers’ faces. As far as work goes, work is work. It should just be the general 7 to 3:30 or 8 to 4:30 pm shift, Monday through Friday. Realistically then, this leaves me with Monday and Friday evenings, and Saturday and Sunday to get my first week’s assignment complete. Since there is no assigned textbook, everything I read will be contributing to my week 1 assignment. The first couple of weeks back from a break is usually the hardest because I have to re-adjust to balancing my schedule, watch less tv, spend less time outside, and do less art.
I was too tired this morning to do a creative writing exercise but I still want to try to continue to do daily writing. Hence my week ahead post. I hope everyone has a great week!
Shaynanigans 