Monday, January 16, 2006
A Holiday At the Office
I had a good day at work today.
It's Martin Luther King's Birthday and the kids in the area have off school so the office was busy. I used to dread working a holiday:
A- I felt ripped off, because had I worked for a big corporation (like my hubby) I would get cushy benefits like sick days, matching 401K contributions and minor holidays off. A small business is just not in the position to offer these perks.
B- It's often more hectic working a holiday because everybody else has the day off and wants to come in for an exam. Plus, most holidays are on Monday and we get emergency spillover from the weekend in addition to scheduled patients. I worry that there will be more patients that want to/need to be seen than I can manage to care for properly. And the paperwork- the dreaded paperwork- will pile up, unattended to.
So you see I had a potentially bad attitude to start with about working today.
But one of the miraculous things about living simply (and saving up an a--load of dough in the process) is that Work becomes its own thing, and is no longer really about the money (since the day is fast approaching where I don't really have to work) or about prestige (again, having megabucks in the bank account and being in a habit of practicing an unconventionally simple life, makes one much less concerned about what anyone else thinks, and I don't really need to be building a resume anymore so close to retirement). So I work for myself, for the perfectionist in me that wants to provide a good service in a cheerful way. To enhance my Karma and make the world a more pleasant place. To maximixe my efficiency in the office as I develop my clinical and interpersonal skills. To satisfy my need to mother people- to encourage them to take good care of themselves and to make sure they are as healthy as I can make them.
That's Work these days. Even on holidays.
Moopy
It's Martin Luther King's Birthday and the kids in the area have off school so the office was busy. I used to dread working a holiday:
A- I felt ripped off, because had I worked for a big corporation (like my hubby) I would get cushy benefits like sick days, matching 401K contributions and minor holidays off. A small business is just not in the position to offer these perks.
B- It's often more hectic working a holiday because everybody else has the day off and wants to come in for an exam. Plus, most holidays are on Monday and we get emergency spillover from the weekend in addition to scheduled patients. I worry that there will be more patients that want to/need to be seen than I can manage to care for properly. And the paperwork- the dreaded paperwork- will pile up, unattended to.
So you see I had a potentially bad attitude to start with about working today.
But one of the miraculous things about living simply (and saving up an a--load of dough in the process) is that Work becomes its own thing, and is no longer really about the money (since the day is fast approaching where I don't really have to work) or about prestige (again, having megabucks in the bank account and being in a habit of practicing an unconventionally simple life, makes one much less concerned about what anyone else thinks, and I don't really need to be building a resume anymore so close to retirement). So I work for myself, for the perfectionist in me that wants to provide a good service in a cheerful way. To enhance my Karma and make the world a more pleasant place. To maximixe my efficiency in the office as I develop my clinical and interpersonal skills. To satisfy my need to mother people- to encourage them to take good care of themselves and to make sure they are as healthy as I can make them.
That's Work these days. Even on holidays.
Moopy
# posted by Moopy and Mopey @ 7:40 PM 
