Monday drifting

Its never easy
And its never clear
Whos to navigate
And whos to steer
So you flounder drifting ever near the rocks.

--Dan Fogelberg, Hard to Say, 1982

I knew something weird was going on when I awakened early in the morning after a lovely dinner at home with my family. I even got my paper all fluffed, buffed and edited and sent to my instructor. Dahey and Bubba had a nice day. It was one of those dreams that wakes you up and you can't go back to sleep. That was me, only I awoke to the smell of something cooking. I investigated and no one was cooking at my house.

Finally, cups of coffee later, I got Bubba out and rolling. Once I got in, the slowness of the hallway surprised me. Even at breakfast time, there's a rush at our place. Nurses feeding people, setting people up, giving meds. Today it was hushed. I found out why when I saw the code sheet at the desk. The procedure details told me something was up. I ran to one room and saw that patient was watching TV, with breakfast over. Once I saw him, I knew exactly who it was. I just didn't know the story.

Report comes in. It was my patient who I took care the last few weeks. The restlessness and dreams and the odd things said all came back to me. I felt like I was reading that book again. I was disturbed, so when I saw the chaplain come around, I talked to him. That helped.

Mondays at our place are usually nuts, so I went on and got my patient ready. Even with all the hubbub, it wasn't as bad as I thought it could have been. We talked amongst ourselves and laughed about this patient. He/she was just a character, and it was very evident in the last few days, as he/she got up and out of the room. Some days I just walked out of the room and chuckled to myself, "What a character!" And it wasn't just me, either, since he/she regaled the docs just as much as the nurses and staff.

Finally, I went home, and on the way, in the fall breeze, I just thought about how lucky I am...and how free one character is today.

Hope you two are enjoying that burger...wherever you are!