thankful

no sun.  cold snow.  on call every four days.  and busy, busy nights.  traumas and codes and deaths and visits that run into each other.   ICUs and ER have become familiar and well worn.  I'm always tired.  We were warned about this season.  But now that the externs are here and beginning to train, it seems almost unbearable to hang in there til February.


I have to intently focus on the things I am grateful for.  At the hospital here are a few I thought of today:
       The whole, regular size tube of toothpaste that I finally gave in and brought to leave in the on call room.  No more squeezing the last drop out of a travel size.  I can brush my teeth in style.
       Marsha, the wonderful breakfast lady, sees me coming and hands me a to-go box with a hot, hard boiled egg in it.  I don't even have to wait in line.
       The seven externs here to work weekends and who look at us like we are wise sages - The Residents Who Know All.  It reminds me of how much we have learned and its fun to be one of the smart ones for a little bit.
       Jerry, our volunteer chaplain, brings "mouth watering*" meat recipes in regularly, thinking it might tempt me to abandon vegetarianism.  It doesn't.  But I love his enthusiasm.
       Our rolling chairs that allow Cathie, Vicki, Nathan and me to spin around from our computers, form a circle and talk about Manek Kolah, the variety of EC greeters, paganism, 2 Corinthians 12:9, books we want to read, and blogs we need to write.


And out of the hospital I'm thankful every day for my ear piece that keeps me connected to Karen in the land of warmth, and Jenn in the frozen Asheville.  I'm thankful that the Black Eyed Peas "...gotta feeling" that pumps me up.  I'm thankful for my Mad Men dvd's and that some genius invented hot chocolate.  And I'm thankful for my three Miller Men who make every minute of the daily two and a half hour of commute totally worth it.


See, who said January was so bad?

Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus  1 Thessalonians 5:17,18 NLT

*you know how right before you throw up your mouth waters?