Not enough time

So many things to do:
Run errands on your day off.
Get your car repaired.
Do Christmas/holiday shopping.
Study for that test.
Finish that darned paper for class.

And I go to work and time goes in spurts--slowly and quickly. Slowly when you look at the clock and say, "I'm ready to go home" and it says you still have four hours. Quickly when you look at the calendar...another year has come and gone.

Time concerns wear on your patients, too. One guy is antsy to go home to be with his family at the holidays. One patient wants time to find out when they can fix his wheelchair so he can get out of bed, because without that fix, he's grounded.

For some, no matter what we do, there will not be enough time. Not enough time to spend with them because they are so anxious and confused that they forget when we tell them we'll come back to see them.

Not enough time for the patients with cancer. One is calm and at peace with his fate--the Sword of Damocles has hung over his head for a while longer than anyone expected and he just savors ever moment...even if it's drinking his supplements while watching wrestling on the big screen all by himself. "I don't feel too bad. This is great!"

Another has the meter running and it's speeding up before our very eyes. If we don't move fast enough, he/she will die with us, not in the hospice unit nearby, not with his family nearby. It wears on us all. "This is no place to die," the doc says with much chagrin.

Never enough time, so enjoy your every moment. Off I go to mine.

Stay tuned...