I rushed up to the dentist today, as part of our effort to
make sure we have dealt with all our physical maintenance issues before we
leave on our trip. I stopped at the
Starbucks before going to my appointment because I had not had any breakfast,
and I needed to get a small proposal done before tomorrow. I wrote the proposal and went happily to my
appointment.
Because we all have to be connected all the time now, I
checked my phone only to find out that I had the wrong time for my appointment
on my phone (an after effect of learning new technology). I was 45 minutes late for a 90 minute appointment,
during which I was supposed to be getting a new crown on an upper molar.
The dentist was fairly nice to me considering I had just
screwed up their schedule. They took
X-rays, and then came in with grim faces and told me that the tooth was too
deteriorated and could no longer support a crown. They then took a photo with camera that
looked like toothbrush. When the picture
was posted on the screen in front of me, we were all horrified. The tooth had a big black hole that peered
right into the center of the tooth and the root canal. Yuck.
There was going to be no crown. In fact, that tooth needed to come out of my
head. Today. And then I will need to get a bridge. This was a genuine “that sucks” moment. The worst part was that it was totally
avoidable.
This sad saga began months ago, when my dentist told me that
a cavity had opened above my gum line…above a previous filling. A root canal would be required, followed by a
crown. We did that and then scheduled
the follow-up appointment. On the day of
that appointment, a work emergency came up and I missed my appointment. I didn’t have another free slot for several
more weeks.
When I go there, the dentist informed me that the root had
been too exposed and would have to be re-opened and re-drilled. We did that again. Another appointment was scheduled…again on
the first opening I could find in my 50-60 hour a week work schedule.
So when I got there today—late because I was cramming in
some more work before my early morning appointment-- the tooth was already
gone.
So then I am on the phone, making
sure that I can cover my obligations:
- see the bookkeeper and get current financials;
- pick up supplies for the opening tomorrow;
- call the chair of the fund development committee about the upcoming event;
- make sure the proposal I wrote that morning is edited;
- make arrangements for our landlord to meet with an artist with a proposal for our building and grounds so she can submit a proposal by Monday;
- brief the staff on emergency procedures because of the tornado watch.
And do it all in the 2.5 hours before the tooth had to be extracted.
So I run around and juggle, juggle,
juggle. I pray, "Don’t drop any balls."
Except, of course… I had already dropped a big ball right on my head. I was going to lose a tooth and several
thousand dollars because of this particular bobble.
I am constantly in a state of triage, dealing with the
endless urgent demands, the unrelenting need to keep the money flowing,
communication up to date, and everybody more or less happy and focused.
I have been telling Wes that I can’t seem to keep all the
balls in the air. I can work, and
exercise, and write. Or I can work, and
cook, and have a social life. Or I can
work, and exercise, and have a few friends.
I sure can’t seem to do them all.
It seems that working and taking care of myself with healthy food, exercise, relaxation,
and outside interests is utterly beyond me.
It is true that I have let work become the first and last thing I do. I think about it constantly. I let myself down to keep my obligations
up. Or so I tell myself. I can’t
keep up with my work load either. I am never caught up. There is not a moment when I am not concerned
about the pile that waits on my desk and the to-do list running in my mind. This is a fool’s bargain and I am the
damn fool who created it, sold it, and bought it.
No comments:
Post a Comment