Ebb vs. Flow

"What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else." - Hal Boyle, "Help, Help! Another Day!, 1970

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Beautiful, sunny day today. a mix of Summer and Fall. My hanging flower baskets continue to bloom, especially after the massive rains over the past two days. Across the street in the wooded area separating my apartment from an upscale housing development, hints of Fall colors are starting to show on the deciduous trees. I love the Fall foliage. Woke up in my stripped and packed apartment to make a series of telephone calls which have become usual fare to keep my life moving somewhat smoothly since my injury.

First on the list is the carpet cleaning company. They will be here at 2:30 or 3PM. "Sorry we missed you appointment yesterday" they said. No explanation. Oh, well. It will get done today. I don't know how much more cleaning this ragged carpet can take. It is worn thin. Guess my wheelchair wears more than usual on this cheap, apartment grade carpeting. No carpet in my new home - textured tile it will be.

Next a call to the pharmacy that sends out my medications to check on refills. They are going through some kind of transition. The people with whom I've built some repoire over the past few years are never on the phone now and the people I do speak with are not very friendly and do not seem the least bit concerned that I might run out of medications next week. "I have to call the doctor. We'll send them out whenever they get the refills to us" commented the pharmacist on the line.

Her response prompted the need for another phone call to the doctor's office. A new medical assistant who has replaced the one I'd worked with for the past three years. I explained the need for refills, particularly on two critical medications. "You have an appointment next week, can we do it then?" No, I will be out of medication by then and the turnaround time is five days. The pharmacy is under the illusion that sending medications by two day Fedex means I get them in two days. Not so... The new assistant continues, "I don't know what the previous assistant was thinking. She scheduled you so far out that your prescriptions ran out. Well, we'll fix that this time. This just makes so much extra work for the doctor and me!" I quietly think "and it's not for me?" but politely say "thank you so much".

Call number four to verify my annual appointment at the rehab center where I discover that my appointment is at 10:45AM rather than the 9:15AM time sent to me by e-mail. I wonder how many other appointments have been actually scheduled later than I'm told? Guess that's one way to deal with my struggle to be on time for appointments. What does Martha Beck call people like me in her article on "Transition Anxiety"? Polychronic. Interesting take on time orientation with the focus on the difficulty polychronics have making transitions from one activity or encounter to another (see Oprah.com, search "Martha Beck" and "Transition Anxiety"). Time is a river...

Next call for the first hour of my morning was to the durable medical equipment provider to see if he would be available for adjustments and repairs, left a message. He will call me tomorrow. Just a snipet of how almost every day begins. Interlaced with calls from two of my daughters with issues and problems they needed help in solving. Ho...hum...the carpet cleaners are here, FINALLY!!! Time to end this rambling. In many ways, my life is just like everyone's life. Familiar, not worth stressing over, repetitive ebb and flow.