My husband and I have been taking full advantage of our PTO over the holidays by focusing on resting and recharging.
Here is how we have been spending the majority of our free time:
1) Taking time away from medical stuff — We needed a break from having to make medical decisions, so we have been taking a break from making the big decisions. Obviously, I still have to make quite a few small decisions each day, but the break from the big decisions has been a welcome relief.
2) Spending time outside when the weather allows — I have been continuing to go on walks outside as much as possible. I enjoy being in the sunshine whenever I can be. When the weather has not cooperated, I have been walking on the treadmill. My husband has been trail running, road running, and rucking. He is also planning to play disc golf with a friend and go mountain biking with another friend/colleague.
3) Completing jigsaw puzzles — We started a holiday PTO tradition a few years ago of completing jigsaw puzzles. It is now one of our favorite parts of PTO during the holidays. We usually put on some music and sing along to our favorite songs, watch TV, or listen to podcasts while we complete our puzzles. Below is a picture of the first puzzle we completed this holiday break. (It was difficult due to the many different sizes of each type of butterfly as well as the unique shape of the puzzle pieces. However, we still had fun.)
4) Having dance parties — When life gives us lemons, I make it a point to have quick, impromptu dance parties in our living room. We play a song that makes us happy, and we try to see which one of us has the worst dance moves. It makes us laugh every single time.
5) Watching football — We are avid fans of our local professional football team. And, since NFL games are now on TV most days of the week, we have plenty of games to watch. 🤣
Also, if you know me well, you know that I am someone who loves to learn. I love the story behind the story. [Side note: My husband loves learning as well, but he even commented the other day that he is not sure he knows anyone who loves learning as much as I do.] I am a naturally curious person, and the topic rarely matters. Here is how this applies to football: I love to understand the strategy behind why certain football plays are called by coaches at certain moments in a game. After my favorite NFL team plays a game, I will read articles and watch a variety of video explanations about the strategies behind certain plays.
6) Catching up on our favorite TV shows — We have been catching up on our favorite TV shows during this holiday break. One of our favorite shows is Shrinking on Apple TV+. [Side note: If interested, Apple TV+ offers a free 7-day trial.] I thought that Season 2 was even better than Season 1. Obviously, the show is unrealistic in how therapy actually works, and the characters in the show behave in ways that are not in accordance with the ethical standards of their profession. But, the show is such a well-written show with a good mix of drama and comedy.
I also appreciate that the themes of the show are relatable. The theme for Season 1 was Grief, and the theme for Season 2 is Forgiveness. I agree with the show’s message that forgiveness is mostly for ourselves and not the other person. I also agree with the message that we should accept people for who they are. However, I wish the show would have emphasized the fact that accepting people for who they are does not mean allowing people to treat us in unhealthy ways. We can accept people for who they are while also holding to a set of standards and maintaining healthy boundaries. If someone is unwilling to look at themselves and be accountable for how they move through the world, then we should take note of that and create healthy boundaries. We can accept people for who they are, but we should also put them in the appropriate place in our life.
My love of learning that I mentioned above when discussing football also extends into TV shows. I love the story behind the story here as well. If a show is a well-written show, I am fascinated by how the story comes together and the reasoning behind the interconnected storylines. I love to learn about what the creators and writers were thinking behind the scenes. So, naturally, after finishing Season 2 of Shrinking this week, I have been reading, watching, and listening to interviews with the creators, writers, and actors.
As I was watching the show, I kept thinking that the most experienced therapist, Paul, reminded me a little bit of Phil Stutz from the 2022 Netflix documentary Stutz (directed by Jonah Hill), and as it turns out, I was correct. One of the many behind-the-scenes details I learned this week about Shrinking is that Paul is reportedly loosely inspired by the well-known psychiatrist, Phil Stutz. (If you are interested, here is the link to the Stutz trailer on Netflix.)
I also learned that Christa Miller, the actress who plays Liz, is married to Bill Lawrence, one of the creators of the show. And, Christa has a rock hobby just like her character on the show.
And, so on.
(If you are someone like me who loves the story behind the story, and you have watched Shrinking, here are some articles about the show that you might find interesting: Bill Lawrence interview, Jason Segel interview, and Christa Miller interview.)
This week, my husband and I have both commented on how much we have enjoyed our PTO so far. We have needed this break and have loved spending this time together.
After discussing an important topic during our therapy session this week, our therapist said that she is so glad we have each other since we are such kindred spirits. My husband and I couldn’t agree more. ❤️
Brutal. Bigger medical decisions on the horizon.
Beautiful. Taking a break from bigger medical decisions. Spending time outside. Completing jigsaw puzzles. Singing along to our favorite songs. Listening to interesting podcast episodes. Having dance parties. Watching NFL games. Catching up on our favorite TV shows. Being in a marriage where we both keep it real and love to grow.
[Side Note: This will be the last blog post for 2024. The blog posts published in 2025 will continue to be located on the blog homepage as they have previously been, and they will also be listed on the 2025 blog page in order to continue organizing posts by year.]
Just another day of . . . This Brutiful Life: The Brutal & Beautiful Moments of My Life.
This Brutiful Life 