Work/ School Balance

On Tuesday I took my sister to a doctor’s appointment that required testing ahead of time. It also required a drive of over two hours. To say I was bored is an understatement. I listened to 90’s country music on the drive, chatted with my sister, and tried to stay awake while drinking multiple coffees. I’m a Starbucks girl by the way.

We get the hospital where her appointments were and I plopped down with my computer. I did all of my week one homework for a class that hadn’t even started. I did all the assigned readings, the assignment, and my discussions.

After her first test was complete she came out to tell me and I moved to another section of the waiting area in the hospital. I moved across the room to wait outside of another waiting room for the next test.

There I played Bingo, Monopoly, and watched an episode of Monk. That is where I became bored. I spend so much of my life moving from one task to another. Work to homework to bed. Occasionally, I may be able to play a game on my Xbox. I never have time to actually be bored. Yet, there I sat. Bored.

Finally, she came out and we were off to a different floor of the hospital for her appointment. That meant a different waiting room. At least the scenery was different.

I sat down in the waiting area and pulled out my computer. I was going to do what I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I was going to write. I was going to use my brain for something other than school work and pharmacy work. I was going to stretch those creative muscles and write.

I opened the document, got it set up to start, and started writing. Then someone in the waiting area decided they were going to talk to me. At least I got in a few hundred words on a project I started years ago. I go something done. Those creative muscles got a nice little stretch and I was about to clear off some dust.

The man was very nice. He just wanted someone to talk to while he was waiting for his wife. I think he would be an interesting person to listen to if we had more time. It was a nice conversation.

I then needed to go back to the room with my sister for her appointment. I had another hour of sitting there, waiting. This time for the doctor. In that time I was able to do something I never got enough time to do. Read. An hour of scrolling through Facebook and reading. While I would have loved to do that at home, it wasn’t as much fun doing it sitting in a hard chair while my sister sat on an exam table.

My point in all of this is, I finally had time to do what I wanted and relax. I was able to get ahead in things I’m never ahead in. I could finally relax and shut my brain off for a while. It was nice, except it would have been very nice in my pajamas lounging on my couch or bed. I also had an over two-hour drive home after that, listening to 90s country music. I make it sound like I don’t like that music. I do. I listened to it growing up so I enjoyed it. I think at that point I just wanted to be home with my crazy dog and warm socks. The last was mostly because my feet had been ice all day.

So, take your wins when you can. Was I uncomfortable and not really wanting to be sitting in the hospital that day? Yes. But I was able to enjoy being alone, even if I was in a waiting room with people in and out all day, milling around. So take the time and enjoy it. You never know when the next time you can relax will be.