Meet Gretchen L. Bachman OTD, OTR/L, MBA/HCM, CEAS, CHT
Assistant Clinical Professor, Dept. of Occupational Therapy, NAU
Describe your morning – what time do you get up, what do you do first, next and what is for breakfast?
I am definitely a lark! I am generally up by 4:30/5:00am in the summer months to exercise before it gets too hot outside. In the cooler months I sleep as late as my body lets me before I start my routine …. I really enjoyed that in March and April. The first thing I do when I wake is to drink a big glass of orange juice, put on my running shoes, and go out for some aerobic exercise. When I get home, I walk the dog with my husband (we have a Miniature Poodle/Bichon Frise mix), eat some oatmeal/berries/yogurt/coffee for breakfast, and then these days it’s to the computer to work and teach from home!
What happens next? What do you do for lunch?
Then I turn to the home office. I was able to set up a nice little cocoon of an office during the pandemic. Even painted the office a different color! My husband is also working from home and my son is home because of cancelled summer camps, so we have a nice active house - and have learned that we definitely cannot all be on Zoom at the same time. Lunch is typically grab-n-go between classes and meetings…. Nothing fancy.
What do you do for dinner?
Pre-COVID, we would always figure out dinner on the fly between after school sports, work, and other meetings & school events. Early in quarantine we made a point of sitting together as a family at the table for dinner. In more recent days we have started a list of movies that we watch together as we eat dinner…. total TV Dinnerland. I didn’t cook much pre-pandemic, and now I actually have a couple of go-to recipes that the family wants me to make!
How do you end the day and what time do you go to bed?
I end the day with my family (see dinner ritual). We also like board games, card games, and have completed a few puzzles during the time of this pandemic. We try to go to bed early ….. if you haven’t read the book, Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker, I HIGHLY recommend it. It has changed the way I view sleep and it has most definitely influenced my bedtime hour and rituals.
What art are you doing and when do you do it?
I like to repurpose antiques, do metal stamping, and play around with photography. Pre-COVID I enjoyed the hunt of finding treasures to make as gifts. I am a novice with the photography, but enjoy it as I am out and about town on my bicycle during COVID. I find myself more drawn to urban photography and anything in Bisbee, AZ where we have a second home.
What are you reading?
I just recently finished up Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What we Drink, by Seth Siegel and a historical fiction book called, Lost Roses, by Martha Hall Kelly. Currently I am reading, This is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel. I’ve read some great books over the last few months, both in paper and audio when I am running.
What are you streaming?
We aren’t streaming anything right now because I feel it is my parental obligation to expose my son to all of the amazing 80s movies and other film classics (see dinner ritual) J That being said, we have streamed Friends, Parks and Recreation, and revisited our Office favorites during this time ….. and Tik Tok has entered our lives…. My son likes to search for songs that we can all learn to dance to J
How are you feeling?
Honestly, I am feeling increasingly somber and reflective these days, grateful for supportive friends and family, and productive and honest conversation. We are all in this together, and 2020 is going to have some definite points of reflection.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when the quarantine ends?
Travel. No brainer. I would like to go see my family in Michigan and Iowa, and start to plan another destination trip for the future. Did you know that a study completed in 2002 showed that large boosts in happiness occur from the simple act of planning a vacation?