Not Going to Work Today
Not Going To Work Today, Nope!
I usually don’t rant on MY site. I save that stuff for ranting in the comments on YOUR sites. I would not want to appear unprofessional or undisciplined to my fans (both of them).
Today is different in so many ways. There are so many squirrels in my house and my head that I am feeling as if I should just have a nut fest and be done with it. Don’t ask me why I have been so terribly distracted. I really don’t know. All I know is that I have been and it’s been going on for about twelve hours. Here is what has been happening:
First, it was 12:00 midnight August 6th, and I was speaking with a dear friend, (I do have a few) Ionia Martin, about responsibilities. It occurred to me that I was supposed to go to work in the morning. I checked my work order. OMG, I have to be up at 4:00 am! I had looked at the calendar. The one that hangs on the wall in my study to keep me focused.
You see, I don’t work every day. I am a Registered Nurse and I do wellness screenings as an independent contractor. I am semi-retired (not making any major life or death decisions anymore for those who are worried). I pick up an occasional day here and there, but don’t have regular days or hours. I had myself scheduled to work for Summit Health at Flagler Construction, just about ten minutes from my house. Easy enough, right?
Last night, I printed out my work order, signed off of the computer and went about preparing for my work day. First, I couldn’t find my white shirt, the one I have to wear. It was not in my closet. It was not on the back of the chair where I toss my not so dirty clothes; it was not in a drawer. Next, I could not find my black pants. They were not in the closet. Then I remembered that they must be in the dryer. I checked the dryer and found my white shirt. Why was my white shirt in the dryer with my dark clothes and where were my pants? I hung up my white shirt and spent another half hour looking for my black pants. Finally, I decided I would wear a different, more uncomfortable pair. I undressed to take my shower. It is going on 1:00 am and I decide to wait until morning to take my shower. I pick up my housecoat from the top of the wardrobe, and there they are, my comfortable black pants. Whew!
I crawl into bed, knowing that I have to crawl out too soon. The alarm goes off! I get up and fix some coffee using the last of the creamer. I could have sworn I bought more coffee creamer. I make it into the shower and spend another thirty minutes drying my hair and getting out of the door.
Luckily, I made it to Flagler Construction on time with five minutes to spare. There is not a soul around. It is 6:00 am. The gate is locked, there are no cars in the lot, and the lights are off. I pick up the phone and call the Team Leader. No answer. I call the next number and reach a nice lady on the team, who is trying to get ready to go to work, somewhere else. She informs me that we aren’t scheduled for the job at Flagler for another week. We laugh at my stupidity and I turn the car around to take my sleep deprived butt back home.
Well, I was already awake, and my shoulder was hurting too bad to try to go to sleep. I popped a few Ibuprofen and poured myself a cup of coffee. Damn! Why didn’t I think to pick up some coffee creamer? I sipped the strong black coffee and started putting away the dry goods I had left out last night after making supper. I opened the pantry and there is the coffee creamer. You know, the “must be refrigerated” coffee creamer. I decide that I really need to eat some breakfast with this medicine on my stomach, right? I can’t find the cereal. I put the probably ruined coffee creamer in the fridge (surely there are enough preservatives in there to keep it from spoiling). After all, I just bought groceries yesterday. There, in the fridge, is the cereal. I have breakfast.
My husband gets up and I see him off to work. I am thinking, “You really should get a nap.” But my shoulder is hurting and I need a pain pill. I open the bottle and chase down a little white pill with the coffee. What the hell! Didn’t I just take Ibuprofen? What is this? I, the RN, read the label, “Daisy Nicholls, Prozac 20 mg.” (Yes, my dog is on Prozac..it’s for thunderstorm panic and it works.) Being a firm believer that Prozac should come in aerosol form, I retire to my room with my painful shoulder and try to get a nap. It worked. I slept for a couple of hours and woke up feeling rather refreshed…and happy!
This time next week, I shall be at work, at Flagler Construction, but for today I am off……way off. ~ S.K. Nicholls
Filed under: Short Stories, Uncategorized Tagged: coffee, memory loss, mornings, sleep deprivation, work
