Thank goodness for lunch breaks

Day 1 - A self-portrait to start the year. Photo taken in the bathroom at work in the hospital. I can't think of a less-inspired way to begin a stimulating, new project.

The cats woke me up EARLY and by that I mean before 5:00. I guess they thought they hadn't had enough to eat and wanted me to rectify the situation. I was not prepared to do so at that hour and so I stayed in bed but slept fitfully after that (due to the cat's consistent reminders that I had not assisted them yet) consequently getting out of bed too late to wash my hair. So with no make-up on winter's pale skin, this ugly stress pimple on my forehead, and my limp hair up in a clip, I went off to a day of rigid tedium, completely without creative inspiration. The only thing to make me feel cheerful is the pretty, yellow sweater - a Christmas gift from mom and dad.

When I think about what I give to this job and what I get from it, I'm not surprised its such a struggle to be inventive and articulate on my blog.

But some days, when I take a lunch break, I leave the windowless, fluorescent-lighted office, and go sit in an easy chair in a lobby with floor to ceiling windows and knit and listen to podcasts in natural light. Its very uplifting and I feel like a different person from the person who sits in that windowless, fluorescent-lighted office. I feel like myself, actually. I'm not really sure who that other person is. Probably someone who's so worried about dress codes, HIPAA regulations, being a contractor (outsider) instead of an employee (team member), and all that other stuff that she doesn't feel free to just be herself. Its always so hard to go back to work after lunch.