Occupational balance

Last Thursday around 1:00 I left campus wondering what to do next. After 15 weeks of living by due dates and the weekly rhythm of class it felt a little strange to have nothing that had to be done before I could go to bed. As an occupational therapy student I'm learning to "promote successful participation in everyday occupations, allowing people to remain engaged and to re-engage in meaningful, contributory roles." The irony is that as a student, about all I do is homework, sleep, eat, and work 10 hours a week. That isn't a very balanced life. Some regular exercise, socializing, and having time to help people would make it a more rounded picture. My housemate would probably appreciate it if I did more of the domestic tasks especially cleaning. I make it through by remembering that this is temporary and, with only one semester left, the light is at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, I have three weeks to be completely unbalanced in the other direction. No homework and two weeks of vacation from work means I have time to spend with family and friends!

Last weekend my 10 year-old niece, Elizabeth, came to help me break out of the study mode. On Friday we went shopping (yes, for her I will brave the Mall of America) and visited the Mill Museum that chronicles the years when Minneapolis was the city that ground more flour than any other place in the world. By then I was exhausted and Aunt Alice had to have a nap. We finished the day with sweet corn from the farm and grilled brats followed by a lively game of Dutch Blitz with my housemate. Saturday morning we headed out for a bike ride around Lake of the Isles. After a shower, we headed to the big library downtown that is "4 stories tall!" Two book lovers should be able to find something good to read there. It was the first time I had been in the children's section. That afternoon and evening we attended a wedding. Sunday after church we spent the rest of the day with two different families from church. One had us over for dinner and Elizabeth played with their daughter and niece who are about her age. From there we headed east of St. Paul to ride horses. That adventure was followed up by Sebastian Joe's ice cream. There's nothing better than a kid to bring some perspective and balance back into one's life.