Gemini Rising

Busy Work

No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important. – Mary Kay Ash

Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. – John Lennon

My days seem to fly by, especially when I go to work. I work from 6 am to 2:15 ish pm. I get up at 4 and get home bet. 3-3;15ish. I actually enjoy my work, but I get a lot of comments when I tell people I’m a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I typically get “That must be stressful.” Not really, not for me, but for the person who makes that comment, I’ve come to realize it’s stressful for them.

Some people ask about the calls I take. I usually blow them off. I used to tell them about a call I took that day or recently, and they flinch, as if horrified, and I’ve come to realize they aren’t prepared to hear about 911 calls. If they insist, I usually tell them about the time I answered 911 and the 1st thing I heard was a toilet flushing. Butt dials happen all the time. Total waste of the 911 system, but over 70% of the calls we take are not an emergency.

My work is not physically demanding, though carpal tunnel and tennis elbow injuries can occur, along with neck/shoulder pain or back problems. I had tennis elbow about 10 years ago, but thankfully, I’ve been injury free, though I did get palter fasciitis last year for walking too much! If anything, taking 911 calls is emotionally draining, and it saps a bit of your “drive” or “energy.” When I get home I face my house, my boys’ schedules, and I’m pooped. I’m cleaning, cooking, supervising homework, or chauffeuring the boys to their appointments. This is a major reason why writing and reading has suffered. I might have 1-2 hours “me” time stops before I have to go to bed again. I find I’m trying to find time – minutes here or there throughout the day to manage my emails.

Well, now that the holidays are over, I find myself catching up on neglected me. I have a lot to read in my TBR pile and I hope to get back to my NaNoWriMo project soon to finish it. I’ll give it another 2 weeks to normalize. My DH helped to take down Christmas, but RE (religious ed) and scouting picks up again. Joe’s homework is back. Back to the grind. Hopefully a little more organization will help me keep it straight.

Resolution/Goal #4 : Manage and organize my time more efficiently.