July has been an interesting and busy month. Here’s a recap of my month of July, which has been jam packed with craziness and a multitude of events. For example:
A forced break from my consulting job. We had expected the final request for proposal due from the Air Force during the first week in July. Instead we got notice that it would appear no later than July 31. That meant we had to stop work until the RFP really did arrive. As a result I got three weeks of very welcomed freedom from proposal work. However, the RFP arrived on June 28 telling us that the proposal is due on September 11. That means I’m back to work until we deliver with my first assignment to cull twenty pages from the draft. I will also be responsible for getting the revised and shortened document ready for two more reviews and subsequent delivery. I’ve done it before and I’m confident I can do it again. I’ll let you know how it all turns out.
A physical therapy adventure. As a result of a fall in late May that left me with constant pain in the upper part of my left arm, I consulted with an orthopedic MD while on my work hiatus. He took an x-ray that showed no break and prescribed physical therapy. After five sessions of ultrasound, massage, and electrical stimulation plus my doing exercises twice a day, I can feel some relief. PT is definitely a new experience for me since my body has always been so resilient and pain-free.
An alcohol free month. Every July and January I abstain from all alcohol that means no wine since I never drink anything harder. I started this routine about twenty years ago after drinking way too much one New Years Eve. At first I stopped alcohol in-take only in the month of January, but it felt so good I decided to stop for a month in July as well. It’s a habit now. Most of my friends and family know I do it and never bug me about. They don’t try to tempt me by saying how about a drink to celebrate this or that occasion. If I celebrate one, what’s not to stop me from celebrating another? I just don’t. This month was no different. I’m completing my July wine fast today and looking forward to one of my favorite red zinfandels – Fiddletown Cellars.
A month of renewal. We also demolished my husband’s office in preparation for a whole new look. He got rid of the built-in shelves and existing furniture and picked out new, the walls got prepped for a new paint job, and just today the wood that will replace the carpet was moved in to begin acclimating before being installed in the next ten days or so. We also recovered some of our family room furniture and replaced the old falling-apart rug. I’m sitting in a newly renovated chair right now and it’s wonderful. However, I’ve learned a big lesson. Once you open Pandora’s box and start a renewal project, you never know how many other things can go wrong (one of the walls once uncovered exhibited some black mold left over from an old leak, so we had to replace the entire wall, rotten wood, and soggy insulation material).
One last thing. We also have to replace our twenty-five-year old washing machine because it was leaking black oily stuff that ruined some of our clothes. I’m awaiting its arrival today. My husband and I had a good chuckle over this one since we bought a new machine that is supposed to last twenty-five years as well. It will probably outlive us.
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