Since expectations for a "Tumultuous Tuesday" were nullified yesterday, the knowledge that a good day was wholly within the realm of possibility set in motion that potential outcome. And lo and behold, Tuesday dawned and the day unfolded in a moderate and tolerable fashion.
Plagued by a headache all day, the ups and downs of work made little impact on my mood. Running from patient to patient, answering call after call, trolling the clinic for available providers to sign narcotic scripts for needy patients---none of it altered my feelings of equanimity. What sweet relief.
Finding these moments, hours, or days when the self seems to be made of Teflon, when the stressors of the workday seem to slide off without making a mark---these are moments to savor. One must always remember that this is possible, even on the most stultifying and exhausting of days. Without this type of respite, the daily grind will wear one down until the nose on the grindstone is nothing but a shadow of its original shape.
I will continue to look for such moments, strive to create them, and then store them in my memory like tropical islands which I can visit when the going gets tough. We all need such spaces which allow us mental relief and rest, otherwise we are simply automatons on the road to a miserable retirement, or an early death, both potential futures which I unequivocally reject.
No comments:
Post a Comment