A Day in the Life
Today has the potential to be a really long day. The morning started when the alarm sounded at 6:30 am. I got out of bed, crafted my lunch and made sure I had enough water to get through the day. The weather man is calling for 80 degrees temps so I need to be prepared! A frozen bottled water will dually serve as icepack in my insulated lunch bag and cooling refreshment throughout the day.
When you do home care and your day is packed with back to back appointments from 9:00 to 6:00 that evening, you need to make sure you have what you need to keep energy up and hunger and headaches at bay. I had boiled eggs the night before so that I could whip up an egg salad sandwich in no time, plus the protein boost is vital half way through the day!
I have a six kiddo line-up for today. I started out with five scheduled, but a family couldn't keep their usual visit this week, so I moved them to today and squeezed them between two appointments. I certainly did not mind making the change however it does challenge my travel schedule as I need to get from one end of the county to the other within a half hour. When you are navigating through traffic, trash trucks and Lord only knows what else, half-hour travel time is not always realistic!
Regardless, my day has begun! The first two visits go off without a hitch. Everyone is home and the sessions go well. When I arrive at my third appointment, it appears as though no one is home. I knock, ring the doorbell and even rap on the window and still no answer. I decide to call the house phone and still no one answers. Just as I am ready to document this appointment as a "no show", I hear the door behind me open. Although I've been already been outside for about 15 minutes, we still have 45 minutes left to squeeze in a speech visit!
Despite traffic, cranky toddlers and tired, over-worked moms, the rest of the day continues on without a problem and I feel satisfied with my work!
I wrote this today not because anything really tremendously significant happened, but to just share my day, a day in my life. I, an average home-care early intervention speech therapist who, like millions of other therapists out there, work hard and give it my all and hope that for today, I've helped to make a positive difference in a family's life (or six!).
Happy Memorial Day to all our dedicated men and women who have dedicated and sacrificed their time and lives to our country now and over the decades.