Week 1, 2024
No slow entry into 2024 for me, as the year kicked off with double grandparental hospitalisation.
Both mineral-related in a way. The first - sudden and severe anaemia; the second - a potassium challenge. On the anaemia - a few things to reflect on:
How things that feel like they come out of the blue have likely been building for some time, without anyone really noticing (the boiling frog problem). Everyone thought it was just age - and now, 7 units of blood later, it’s like he’s ten years younger. And how much shame his loved ones feel having failed to spot the problem.
How the symptom of not having enough of something can be because it isn’t being consumed, isn’t being absorbed, isn’t able to be effectively used, can’t get to where it needs to be, is being lost, or is being destroyed. And how simply consuming more only fixes the issue for one of these causes.
On the potassium - it’s actually more of a fluid challenge. She’s got pulmonary oedema caused by heart failure - and her symptoms took a turn for the worse. When she went to get treated, they realised they couldn’t increase her diuretics without taking her potassium levels perilously low. She was hospitalised, put on a diuretic drip and lost many, many bags of fluid through it - clearing her lungs and enabling her to sleep for the first time in weeks.
How important is balance - and experimenting (safely) until you achieve it. She couldn’t leave the hospital until they’d adjusted her meds in a way that allowed her to have a higher dose of diuretic whilst keeping her salts balanced. They tried a few adjustments - watching closely - until they got it just right for her. And now she’s out and happy.
How important questioning how things have accumulated over time, and zero-basing things every so often, can be. While talking to her about her meds, the pharmacist took the opportunity to adjust some of the other pills she’s on - spotted some unintentional contraindications, and switched a few things out. This reduces the total number of pills she takes daily and should get rid of a few annoying side-effects for her.
I didn’t have a huge amount in the work diary for the two days I was expected to be in this week - and, as you’d expect, work was really good about me not being at meetings. I did, nonetheless, do work - mostly to distract myself. I finished reading two books: “Modern Grantmaking” by Tom Steinberg and Gemma Bull; and “It ain’t what you give it’s the way that you give it” by Caroline Fiennes. And I read through reams and reams of documents sent over by a client ahead of a kick-off next week.
I also:
dismantled some Lego Christmas Houses (a gift to my future and present self, as it’s quite meditative and makes building it next year much easier)
took down the Christmas decorations but decided to leave up the fairy lights in the back garden, at least until the days lengthen
had some time reflecting on my year. I found myself thinking a lot more about my personal relationships than my professional direction or side-project ambitions
facilitated a family retro-and-year-planning workshop - a first for the Fletchers. The girls are old enough now to be able to more reflective and intentional. They’re being given more responsibility - and it’s only fair that they get to shape how we spend our family time together
found and completed some Extreme Dot-to-Dots
listened to and enjoyed a podcast about the History of English
continued learning about witches, magic, astrology and runes. I went to a “Witches of London” tour in December and found it *fascinating*. And as I’m fast heading into menopause, I’m quite strongly identifying with the “crone” stage of a woman’s life - and finding myself wanting to embrace that identity. I expect I’ll write more on this at some point
played around with some watercolours I got for Christmas. I need to adjust the balance between watching Instagram videos of watercolour painting and actually experimenting with the paints myself - I can see my inner perfectionist getting in the way, so I need to give her a kick.
My life this year is going to be about living bigger, bolder and braver than ever before.
And about connecting - more intentionally, more frequently, deeper and more meaningfully, with myself, with friends and family, with new people personally and professionally. What is life, after all, without connection?
I miss you all.