So it was one of those days where I just couldn't catch a break. The stress and worry of running 13 kids down this week on the inpatient unit and being behind on the outpatient volume has left my nerves frayed.
Have you ever noticed that when you are at wit’s end, there is something that happens that makes you laugh at yourself?
So in the middle of trying to figure out how we are going to tell of our Board of Trustees we are going to turn around a 500K loss for the year when the census is so far off and I know June will only make the hole bigger, Rose comes in and says "we have a problem". Never a good sign.
Stephanie Jones was on the phone. EZ pass was threatening to fine us $500 because one of our CSH vehicles was not accurately registered. Carl Gelormine and my name are on the account and they would only speak to one of us. Great. Carl is on his sick bed and so it was left to me. We had to get the secret code from Carl and the vehicle information from Kevin Sullivan.
I was finally able to sit down to make the call last night. I push the buttons and get to a live person. She asks me a series of questions - account number, security code, address on the account and the license plate number.
Then she says "Ok. I can help you. What type of vehicle is it?"
I stop dead knowing I don't have the right information - so all I can come up with is, "It is a blue truck with a Children's Specialized sign on the side." Like she really cares about the color and signage!
"Is it a Ford a Chevy? Two doors or four doors?" she asks.
Again, I’m dumbfounded and can’t muster anything else to say but, “It is blue."
We both crack up and she says she’ll list it as “unknown.” We both start laughing so hard we can't stop.
So at the end of a rough day, without a lot of answers, a little humor never hurts.
Got a funny story to share?
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Unexpected Gifts
Thursday of last week was a particularly difficult day. It was what I call a "three-fer". I had committed to too much on my schedule, I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be and it was a 200 mile day driving myself all over the state. So you know what happens, I don't sleep the night before, fretting that I am not ready for all of it, having those repeating comments in my head which alternate between why didn't I prepare more? And you are a loser for not being at the top of your game. Neither thoughts are helpful in getting the sleep I need for what will end up being a 15 hour work day.
So, I get through my first meeting. Gave my presentation and hit it out of the park. Late to the next conference call and had to leave early. I didn't really fulfill my duty as I should have on the call but was able to skate.
Jumped in the car, late, to drive 51 miles and needed to arrive in 57 minutes. You are getting the picture right? Get to location for the speech that I was still changing the slides during the previous conference call. Speech is to 100 really smart people, on the future of health care in NJ.
And it happens.
I get my cadence. I never played team sports because I was the nerd, but I imagine that is what the sensation is like - when you just know there is nothing that is going to slow you down. It was a home run.
At the end of the speech, a woman was waiting to see me. She said " I heard you give a speech in 2004 with similar themes, including about knowing how to define the end of life,” the woman said. "Within 6 months of you giving that speech, my 88 year old mother entered the hospital and the doctors started talking about opening her chest for cardiac surgery and that she would be able to survive on a vent I heard your voice. You said – ‘you need to love them enough to celebrate their lives instead of fighting their deaths.’ She died peacefully the next day and I wouldn't have done that if I hadn’t heard you speak."
There is a reason we are sent on certain days to do certain things - even when we don't know it at the time. My guess is that this has happened to you before - a gift that comes when you need it the most and expect it the least.
Do you have any similar stories?
So, I get through my first meeting. Gave my presentation and hit it out of the park. Late to the next conference call and had to leave early. I didn't really fulfill my duty as I should have on the call but was able to skate.
Jumped in the car, late, to drive 51 miles and needed to arrive in 57 minutes. You are getting the picture right? Get to location for the speech that I was still changing the slides during the previous conference call. Speech is to 100 really smart people, on the future of health care in NJ.
And it happens.
I get my cadence. I never played team sports because I was the nerd, but I imagine that is what the sensation is like - when you just know there is nothing that is going to slow you down. It was a home run.
At the end of the speech, a woman was waiting to see me. She said " I heard you give a speech in 2004 with similar themes, including about knowing how to define the end of life,” the woman said. "Within 6 months of you giving that speech, my 88 year old mother entered the hospital and the doctors started talking about opening her chest for cardiac surgery and that she would be able to survive on a vent I heard your voice. You said – ‘you need to love them enough to celebrate their lives instead of fighting their deaths.’ She died peacefully the next day and I wouldn't have done that if I hadn’t heard you speak."
There is a reason we are sent on certain days to do certain things - even when we don't know it at the time. My guess is that this has happened to you before - a gift that comes when you need it the most and expect it the least.
Do you have any similar stories?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)