As I walked out into the kitchen this morning, I was greeted by last night’s supper dishes. Ever loyal, they will wait for me until the end of time, if I let them. It was just another reminder that the weekend is too short and the work week is too long.
At least, that is the way I was thinking this morning.
I always seem to have more things to do than time to do them. As I told a friend yesterday: when I go to bed at night, the list of things that I did not accomplish during the day is long and distinguished…
And so, this morning started out with things undone. I got to work and there was more to do. Little “love notes” in my mailbox: things to finish doing, or redo. Documentation has to be correct before it is sent to Medicare, and so I corrected it.
I needed to call my patients and schedule today’s visits, but the phone just kept ringing. Patients with questions, physicians with orders, other nurses with questions, too. One patient who is still a little “foggy” after open heart surgery, called me three times. Understandable though, he had three questions.
When I finally got out of the office, got the supplies and charts loaded into my car, and got on the road, it was getting late. I wanted to see the patients who needed lab work done first. I like to have their blood specimens into the lab before noon. And it was going to be close.
John Denver was singing to me, telling me how sunshine makes him happy, and I was wishing it would do the same for me. I wasn’t unhappy, really, just feeling rushed and a little stressed.
And then something quite ordinary happened. As I was stopped—at a green light—waiting to make a left turn, a pregnant woman and two small children were crossing the street. I was waiting for them to get across the street safely before turning. Even though I had a lot to accomplish, I was not at all “put out” by having to wait for her.
As she walked in front of my car, her arms outstretched as she held on to wayward toddlers, she looked at me and flashed a beautiful smile. Her dark brown eyes danced with kindness as she looked at me. I had no choice: I returned her smile.
Funny thing, the smile she evoked in me lasted all day. The hurry was gone, the stress was over, and I went about my day’s work calmly, sharing her smile with everyone I saw.
Smiles can do that, you know.
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