Senior Week is officially behind us, and my daughter has wrapped up her primary school era. Between end‑of‑May chaos and early‑June celebrations, life has been a whirlwind. Beautiful, emotional, exhausting — all of it. But now that graduation is over, I can finally feel some of that weight sliding off my shoulders.

It’s been about a week since my last shift, and walking back into work today felt… surprisingly smooth. A resident passed yesterday, and I already miss her smile. That’s the part of this job that never gets easier — the quiet little goodbyes you carry with you.

We also welcomed a new resident. She’s a doctor — a doctor with dementia — and honestly, she sounds exactly like Roz from Monsters Inc. Every time she talks, I half expect her to say, “Mmm‑hmm… I’m watching you.” Pleasant so far, just a little restless after dinner and not quite ready to head back to her room right away. Fair enough. New place, new faces, new routines.

The rest of the shift? Smooth. Like, shockingly smooth. By 8:30pm most of the residents were already in bed, which in my book is a major win. No chaos, no surprises, no “why is this happening right now” moments. Just a calm night to ease me back in.

And honestly, my mood is so much better than it was a week ago. It’s wild how much outside‑of‑work stress can bleed into everything else. Tonight felt lighter. Manageable. Almost like riding a bike — a little wobbly at first, but the muscle memory comes right back.

Back again tomorrow, and if it’s anything like today, I’ll take it.

— Scrubs & Side Eyes
Just trying to keep it together one shift at a time.