Lots of changes to report this week. But, this Eagle loves change, ya know. It's another opportunity to explore creative ways to adapt, shift, transform, and transcend. Another opportunity to explore one's bliss. Thank goodness nothing is permanent, LOL.
I will be working remotely from home for a while, or until Gov. Inslee decrees it is indeed okay for offices to operate at full capacity. Technically our small little Engineering firm takes up the whole 5th floor of a historic building downtown. There are only 14 of us. We all did the math (not too hard to do in an engineering firm), and we could stay open with all of us there.
But, as one of the partners put it - "we understand the intent of the 25% capacity option is that whoever can work from home, should work from home."
And, then there is one among that 14 who is especially vulnerable, because she takes immune suppressants to treat MS. She never knows what her white blood cell count is at any given moment and the number of cells she has to fight off infection takes more dips and turns than the wildest ride at 6 flags.
I didn't work from home last time. We furloughed me for a spell while I collected unemployment, which worked out perfectly. And, I made sure to stash enough money in savings in case this might happen again.
The firm paid for my medical insurance the whole time I was furloughed.
This time around, one of the partners said "let's hook the front desk phone up from your home, get you set up on VPN - we're going to have you work remotely."
And, so far (knock on wood) - it's going smoothly. But, I need to be hooked up to the VPN. That journey begins tomorrow.
I'm not sure why we didn't do the temporary furlough this time other than they wanted to ensure I received full pay. But, it was hard not to note the lines of worry across their face while we waited for the part to arrive that would allow me to take the phone home to set up.
In short, they wanted me out of there because they were afraid I would catch Covid. The numbers are substantial enough around here that it's risk to my health becomes real in a way that none of us including myself wants to see.
Note: Engineers by design are not "emotionally" expressive creatures. They will never say, "I'm worried about you, I don't want you to get sick..I want you to be somewhere safe, taken care of, so I know you are okay."
Engineers are "do'ers. They make the plans, design workarounds, get what's needed...and then everything will be okay. LOL
I will miss those boys and I know they will miss me. They're damn frat house slobs when I'm not around to manage some order in that office. And, I know dang well not a single one of them will sanitize those surfaces the way I do. I told the second partner, "I'm afraid y'all will catch the flu the first week I'm gone!" He laughed, and said "you're probably right".
I also instructed each of them they will need to be my eyes and ears. I can't sweep through the office and see what needs to be ordered, replaced, or stocked up on. I will need them to let me know the minute they see something we need.
I don't know that they will, but sometimes if I say it firmly enough, something sinks in.
So, now for the adaptation. And, this...this is definitely a little divine intervention on the universe's part.
I do about 3 walking circuits a day when I'm at work. One in the morning right after the para-transit drops me off, one in the afternoon, and the last one is a short walk home when the bus drops me off. It doesn't seem like much, but with all those circuits and steps I get walking around the office - I can clock in about 14000-16000 steps/day.
Basically, we're just going to take a similar schedule with a few tweaks and implement it at home. After breakfast - I take a 20 minute walk around my neighborhood (which, is gorgeous because we're situated in the woods out here), another 20 minute walk at lunch, and a 23 minute bike ride on the recumbent at the end of the work day.
Workout days remain the same, but I will be able to save time because I don't have a 40 minute bus ride each day before I get home to work out. In fact, since my gym is only a minute's walk (literally) around the corner to my suite, I can start getting ready for my workouts about and hour before shift ends. I may even be able to start warming up before the work day ends!
Saving this kind of time will allow me to get to bed earlier, and allow this body some much need recovery time and a little less sleep deprivation, which is exactly what I've been focusing on!
The activity level may still be less than before, and if I need to readjust caloric intake to compensate then it can definitely be done. But, we're going to see how this works. And, of course there is always room for further adaptation...always :-)
Other than that, life continues...and, I have to confess I am thankful for these changes. It was making me a bit nervous to show up this past week. My last WBC count was really good. However, it's been known to dip steeply in a 3 month period and we're coming up on 3 months since my last blood test. We really don't know what my status is right now. Although, thankfully I did get a flu shot!
Thanksgiving is when I'm couching my surplus day this month. We have no further increases. Actually, I think for the time being - this girl has finally hit maintenance cals. My weigh in this morning has me at 112.4 and the moving average on my happy scale has me at 112.4. Dare I say - we have found the sweet spot at 1890 cals/day. I'm completely okay with this and frankly overjoyed I can eat that much to maintain this weight.
In the meantime, we just continue to get those muscles swole, LOL! Have a wonderful blessed week, everyone. Maybe, I'll catch you sooner than next weekend since I have a bit more down time. Take care and have a wonderful Holiday!
