Anchored

I realized, after being in Utah and catching up with everyone, that no one really knew what I’ve been up to based on our blog posts because we usually post about random things that are outside our ordinary routine.

SO here’s the scoop. After much deliberation and prayer, I decided to give up the floating life and drop anchor at Brook Run Family Physicians, where I am now an official full-timer. I work with a really great group of people who are good Christians and are committed to doing their best at work.

I am also an official interpreter for Bon Secours and can even wear a spiffy nametag for it. Opportunities to provide interpretation are few and far between, but when they do come, I get such a thrill from being able to do the job I love best. They come as a great relief to the stress of everyday worklife.

My dad shared an interesting thought from an article on stress at work: it seems that the more autonomy you have, the less stressed you will be at work. As I’ve been thinking about that in terms of my own job, I have come to the conclusion that that statement is TRUE. At my job I have very little autonomy (my task list is at the mercy of doctor requests, patient phone calls, and a number of other factors) and very often I am feeling frazzled by the end of the day. Some days, admittedly, I get great satisfaction from accomplishing so many things in one day and I feel on top of things, but other days the load gets overwhelming.

Which is why the people I work with make so much of a difference. It’s nice talking and laughing with them throughout the course of the day.

And which is also why I’m grateful to have a full-time position, because now I can have my own desk space where I can put reminders to pray and think of Christ, which is so incredibly difficult given the constant stream of tasks to occupy my mind. Sometimes when I’ve been sitting at home, I’ve thought, Y’know, I could pray for help with phone calls or pray that we’ll be able to find the records we’re looking for. But I still forget during the day. I even tried to set the goal of remembering to pray every time the phone rings (not 100% successfully).

As stressful and annoying as the job can be sometimes, I know–and I keep telling myself–that I have so much to learn from it, and not just in terms of how-to things like how to write an order for a CT scan or how to fix incorrect insurance claims. I think patience is the main lesson, and also gratitude. I am tested on those every day. I definitely don’t pass the test every day, but I’m working on it. Jacob is definitely an example for me and a great support.