It was 6:50 a.m. I was dressed for work – hair done, breakfast ready, and a message off to my assistant. However, that may have been last night before I went to bed. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. dreaming of being late. Then I woke again at 6:00 a.m.
The task seemed simple
Assist a patient with concerns about his insurance coverage. When he comes to my office next time, he’d bring his papers and we’d figure out what he needed done. Dialysis was every other day. So, big deal. And, it was. Patients started Dialysis between 4:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Their treatments ranged from 3.5 to 5.25 hours. I wasn’t sure if he finished at 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. Arriving typically about 8:45 a.m., I’d need to make an adjustment. A complication was I’d used the hours allocated to my discipline.
A patient I wanted to see would be in any time after 5:00 p.m. until around 10:00 p.m. And I’d assured him I’d be in to answer some financial concerns he had. As long as I was dressed professionally, it didn’t matter how early I got there. It was strange for me though, because until now, I didn’t believe I was very highly functioning this early in the day. And, I’d used the hours allocated to my discipline. And, before I was aware of that.
Contemplation
As I sipped my protein shake I looked at the time. I thought of the advantage of arriving early around 7:00 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. It’s a time when the clinic settles down. Patients were set up to Dialyze. Nursing staff and techs take a breather. And the peace should last until about 8:30 a.m. when the second shift arrives. It should be plenty of time to cover what I needed to.
Resentments, anger and doing things we’d rather not
Before I went to bed, I spent time thinking about potential resentments. Going in to work on my own time, getting up early to put on a suit and heels – unnecessary for working at home. Or not following through as I’d said I would. The requirements of the job, patient needs, and personal values come in at different angles. Up early I had the leisure to see clearly that I had found the place where they intersect. Challenging, some times more than others, and, the sweet spot, the place of choice. It’s a place time and grace can help find.
The gift and grace of time
Time can also allow our thoughts, ideas to move around a bit. Like spinning a globe to see a new view of the world. And this morning what came into view in my world was my patient would be in tomorrow, not today. And clear that I was in choice, a bit of a grin moved across my face. I left word I’d be in Friday to answer Mr. P’s questions. I finished my shake while I changed into my jeans. And I shifted gears into entrepreneurial mode as smooth as I shift from 2nd to 3rd gear in my jeep.
