Send a text

Ever feel stuck between what absolutely has to get done and the few things you ache to do for yourself? That’s the tightrope we walk this week as I navigate my husband’s pain plan, an onslaught of rain, and a to-do list that keeps multiplying before breakfast. The theme is simple but stubborn: deciding what truly matters when caregiving, home maintenance, and your own body’s limits all demand first place.

We open with a candid update on Bill’s nerve block wearing off, the new medication that’s giving him breathing room, and the logistics behind scheduling another procedure—wheelchairs, long drives, and the kind of planning that swallows afternoons. From there, I map the daily caregiving routine: feeding and safe transfers, heavy deliveries that still need lifting, and the small nonnegotiables like cleaning the litter box that keep the household running. Rain complicates everything—tarping a leaky car, moving gear under cover, and reckoning with time you didn’t budget. Sleep, which I’ve tried to protect, gets squeezed by early-morning construction next door, so I share what fatigue really does to decision-making and how one quiet holiday morning became a much-needed reset.

There’s also the moment I nearly fainted and the unexpected comfort of a cat who refused to leave my side. Then a tough scene: finding a drowned squirrel in a rain-filled trash can, and what that says about capability, boundaries, and when to ask for help. Finally, I get honest about back pain and arthritis—why rest isn’t the fix, how movement and physical therapy matter, and why I’m pushing myself toward an MRI despite my claustrophobia. The throughline is practical: a simple triage that prioritizes safety, health, and one meaningful “want” that keeps me connected to myself.

If this sounds like your life—too many musts, too few maybes—press play, take what helps, and share it with someone who needs a little grace today. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the one “want” you’ll protect this week?

For the Only Child Diaries:
Check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/onlychilddiariespodcast/
or
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onlychilddiaries/
or
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@onlychilddiaries
and on
Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/onlychilddiaries.bsky.social