Fallen off the wagon....

...completely and utterly.

The past 10 days have been a bit of a blur - preparing for night shifts, doing nights shifts and then recovering from night shifts. Plus then having to do catch up with everything - a particularly grouchy clean freak husband doesn't help - as the "housework fairy" hadn't visited that week.

I have tried to keep up with LSNED, almost fanatically at first, jotting things down in a notebook. But as the time has gone on, I have well and truly fallen behind. Here are a few lessons from this week....

• eye masks really do help you to sleep during the day - I didn't think they would, but I managed a good 6 hours sleep before my first night shift, a lot more than my fellow night shifters ;)
• leaving work at day break can be really quite surreal - I took a photo of the town at dawn as I walked back to my car to drive home. I was alone, apart from a paperboy!
• afternoon naps can hinder as well as help - Saturday was my "transition" day, and I fell asleep for a few hours in the afternoon. Didn't help me at all come bedtime...
• I have to learn to draw the line somewhere, 1 am is a good a time as any... - I had an extra long shift on Sunday. 2.30 pm to midnight. But I was still there at 1am. I left at 1.15 am. I really can't leave until I am happy with my work. Even if that is only filling shelves.
• sometimes it's OK to read a book in a day - I am hooked on the Vampire Academy books at the moment, and Monday I managed to read a whole book in a day. Probably another reason why Mark was miffed, as Monday is usually cleaning day...
• I really have a hard time saying "no" to people - my manager at work phoned me at home to ask if I could work extra hours again on Friday. And I just couldn't say no. I ended up going in 2 hours earlier than usual. I hate letting people down, but sometimes I should see that people do take advantage of me.
• retail therapy is good for the soul - a good crafty bargain from TK Maxx always cheers me up!
• that having complete trust in your hairdresser is always a good thing - I have no clue when it comes to my hair, I just leave it to the professionals. Luckily my hairdresser is amazing, and I now have even more blonde highlights, and hair that is 3 inches shorter than it was before....
• that people really do notice if you are having a bad day - I had a mini wobble at work. Nothing major, I just wasn't quite my happy little self. I felt unappreciated. Not alot of smiling going on. People noticed. Made me feel a bit more appreciated.
• Lunch dates with friends can be bittersweet - catching up with friends and having a bowl of the most amazing soup and a Mars Bar crispie slice doesn't make up for the fact that I said goodbye to one of the sweetest friends I have ever known. Sometimes I really hate Forces life...
• needing to fetch a blanket to keep warm whilst watching tv on an evening really means that the heating needs to be turned back on - and voila the heating is now on :)

The main lesson I have learned over the past week or so, is that I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew. In all aspects of my life. Not just the creative side, but the domestic and the work sides of my life too. To not take on too much, or to expect too much of myself. I have fallen behind with so much again. No creativity going on. Leaving things to the last minute. Feeling bad as I haven't prepared for events - there is a wedding anniversary and a birthday that I am going to be late for this week :( And also putting things off. Getting wrapped up in fiction and other distractions when I really should be doing something more constructive.

Ah, me. Lots of life lessons going on. Not enough hours in the day should be another one....

TTFN

xxxx