discovery #17

simple pleasures (at work!?!)

as i was rushing down the hall to meet with a family, i caught a glimpse of orange coming from the dining room. from our 9th floor lookout, i had the most incredible view of the sun setting over rice university and casting a glow over the room. ever since the time change i've been very crabby that it's dark when i leave work, but this experience showed me that i don't have to miss out on EVERYTHING between 8-5! and in my attempt to be more present in my daily life, it was a great example of what we miss when we're rushing from point a to b.

so, here is a list of simple pleasures i have discovered in my work as a social worker in a hospital:

• teamwork at its finest
• culturally-diverse potlucks
• finishing everything on my TO DO LIST (it actually happened once!)
• compliments from patients, especially on the satisfaction survey
• seeing a stroke survivor walking with only a cane
• knowing i made the hospitalization easier
• laughing at my patients' jokes
• sneaking away for lunch with friends
• seeing a co-worker's newborn twins
• leaving right at 5:00pm
• free coffee at vendor breakfasts
• knowing that i am good at what i do

lately i have discovered myself falling into the 2-year slump. i seem to experience this phenomenon at every job...the point where your learning curve has plateaued and you're feeling pretty comfortable. i have found myself trying to incorporate more creativity into my day and often use my lunchtime to write, read, look at pretty blogs.

i hope i can remember the above list on those days when stress is creeping in and i can't stop for lunch. i hope i can remember the joy i feel when a family member hugs and thanks me for supporting them during a difficult time. i hope i can continue to feel connected to my patients and avoid the burn-out that often accompanies a job such as mine.

i hope i can. i hope i can. i hope i can.