If any of y’all can finish that for me, go right ahead! Haha!
Helllllooo after a bit of a hiatus. Like I said in my last post (if anyone out there is watching), it was gonna be a minute between posts. Between visitors and driving and seeing family and moving to my next spot and starting my job… well, I’m exhausted.
I’ll try to keep it short but I know how long winded I can be.
I spent an awesome weekend with my beautiful Texas friend, Alex. I may have mentioned here in recapping Dallas before, but she is an OT that I worked with down in Dallas. We got to be quite close, and hung out all the time. You know those moments when you find a kindred spirit, and you just “click?” That was Alex and I. We even just hung out on “the bean” and my sparse apartment, laughing and watching TV. She came in on Thursday night, and we spent Friday totally just lounging, hit a yoga class, explored some downtown and hit the brewery. I also had to say goodbye to Kim that day as she was headed on a great vacation. (Sidenote: I am SO grateful to Kim for opening up her home and life to me in Charleston!) We ended the night with a great dinner. Saturday was a GLORIOUS beach day… ahhh, and some nighttime rooftop bar hopping. Sunday was Easter, and she was my Easter date! We shared a great brunch, and then wandered the city until it was time for her to catch a plane back to Texas. I feel INCREDIBLY grateful that I made such wonderful connections in a short period of time in Texas, and for friends who come from far away to visit and make your life brighter. 🙂
Monday kicked off the last “work week” of my time in Charleston. It also meant the arrival of Rachel for her Spring Break. She stayed in a hotel downtown as 1) we expected I’d have patients and that would be more central and B) I was packing and organizing my life to move back up North. Let me just say… Rach and I did EVERYTHING. I squeezed every last second out of Charleston. We walked the bridge, hit the brewery again (Holy City I miss you!), went to Shem Creek and walked the park, took a ride on the Palmetto Breeze, experienced downtown shopping and bar hopping and amazing dinners. We finished the week off with a visit to the Angel Oak on Friday before Rachel’s flight and my road trip to the Northeast. It was a very fun, very full 5 days and the perfect ending to Charleston.
How can I summarize Charleston ? Honestly… it wasn’t what I expected, but it was wonderful. The job ended up being … well, a vacation really. I had so much time to explore and I really, really loved being in a warm climate with tons to do, friendly people and a beautiful coastal view. Now, if I could convince everyone I know to move down there, we’d be golden. 😉
Friday 4/24, I hopped in the car around 3:30pm and hit the open road. Driving the open road, by yourself, always proves to be an interesting experience. I definitely should have planned my gas stops better (hello North Carolina backwoods in the middle of nowhere). I made it to slightly north of Richmond, VA and spent the night in the hotel. The following day, I drove in the rain all darn day to Morristown, NJ to finally see Jamie for her birthday. (Sidenote: VA only has 2 radio genres: Christian music and hip hop. That’s all.) My good friend Amanda and her hubby Kiel also came down from New York to celebrate Jamie’s birthday. It’s been a few years since we were all together, so it was wonderful to see them!
The following day I finally made it back to Rhode Island. My sister, nieces, brother-in-law and dog-nephew Oliver came over for a cookout in the sunshine. I left my phone inside, and just enjoyed the afternoon/evening hanging out and relaxing on the patio, with the fire going. That was sadly Ollie-Bear’s last outing- he has now crossed the rainbow bridge and is waiting over there happy and healthy again.
The week was spent at home, unpacking and repacking. Organizing and sorting and preparing. I spent as much time with family as possible and geared up for Nantucket. Honestly…. I’ve been excited but also equally as anxious for Nantucket to start. First of all…. it’s a mix of outpatient and inpatient therapy. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I have never wanted to do outpatient. It’s a different world! A different way of thinking. But… when this opportunity came up, I realized it would be the perfect way to dip my toes in, get the experience, gain some skill and maybe see if I could challenge myself and grow.
Saturday came and it was the big moving day. Mom and I packed up the car(s) (thanks to my amazing Mom for taking my bike on for me!), drove the 1.5 hours to the ferry and took the 90 minute ferry ride. Suddenly… here I was. In the quintessential New England community of Nantucket. Downtown is EXACTLY what you would picture… cobblestones and all. The funniest part to me initially is how all of the houses look the same- it’s actually a town ordinance!
Thus far, I have done some exploring… but there is still so much more to see and do! Thankfully, my friend Dawn is one of those crazy year-round residents here (hehe) and she has been wonderful in giving advice and tours. My biggest challenge, this assignment, is going to be the job. It is a very humbling experience to go from feeling confident in your abilities as a therapist (though still learning!) to feeling like a novice. I actually feel a bit like a student. Learning and feeling like a fish out of water. Thankfully, so far all of the other therapists have been more than accommodating and willing to share their knowledge…. but I have a feeling it’s going to be a wild ride! I continue to remember my neuro supervisor in Boston telling me to ” fake it til you make it” during a moment I was feeling less than confident in my abilities. Those words has stuck with me and saved me multiple times, and I honestly think changed my entire practice as a therapist (thank you, KP!). I know my knowledge base is strong, it’s just a matter of getting my feet under me and expanding my skill set and confidence.
Overall, after a 5+ week “paid vacation,” 8 hour workdays are killing me, plus the mental strain. I am exhausted and ready for bed! I know this isn’t my best writing or blog post, but it is an accurate portrayal of where I am at. I’m looking forward to sharing all of my trials and tribulations, as well as my adventures with you all! I’ll leave you with a perfect quote that I’m feeling these days….
” A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd
Life Beyond the Green Line 
best of luck in starting a new adventure
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