Election Day

Finally, the annoying phone calls at all hours of the day will end. My mailbox will no longer be stuffed with oversized postcards. I will not be subjected to nasty television commercials where each candidate says the other is a thief, liar and criminal. Hopefully people will vote "No" to the Constitutional Convention so our pensions will remain safe. As we can see, a year has passed since the 2016 election. We are all still standing. America is still here and truth be told, we are stronger. Things change slowly and with a lot of caution, even in this administration. We are no worse for the wear.

Soup

I like soup. Not every day, but occasionally. My parent's generation loves soup. I never realized how much their generation loved it until I began talking to other people who have parents in their 90's. Soup is their comfort food. It is a meal that they fall back on when they have nothing better to eat. There is always soup in the house and plenty of it. In cans, frozen and in the refrigerator. Maybe it stems from when they were children and money was tight. After a regular meal one night, the remains could be turned into soup for the next few nights. Just add some potatoes, vegetables and seasoning to remaining bones or bits of meat and there you go. A hearty dinner.

Turning Back Time

Today we turn back the clocks. Too bad we are not able to turn back time. Only the face of the clock changes, time stays the same. How many people would have loved to turn back the clocks for one hour, in the real sense? How many decisions would have been different? Maybe they would not have said something to hurt another person's feelings. Maybe they would have had one less drink and not sat behind the wheel of a car. Maybe they would have made time to listen to someone in distress. As we turn back our clocks today, we should be mindful of what we do from now on. In a sense, that would be like turning back the clock ahead of time.

The Power

When it comes down to it, humans do not hold the power of the universe. Tiny microscopic cells do. We can make any plan we like, but the tiny cell has the power to change it for us. I was supposed to be on the road to Massachusetts this morning. Yesterday the trip was cancelled because my granddaughter was sick. Her mother had just gotten over a virus, but it laid in wait to attack my granddaughter. Last week I booked the trip. Yesterday I cancelled the trip. When my daughter in law felt better, I rebooked the trip. At night when my granddaughter got sick, I cancelled again. I feel like I am on a roller coaster. I put their bags of gifts in my dining room and will continue to fill them up for when I go to see them in December.

The Big Three

The Big Three used to refer to sports teams. Now it refers to heath care. Three major companies are taking over our healthcare system. Northwell, NYU Langone and ProHealth have systematically eaten away at the small doctors. The have bought them out and are slowly building a healthcare army. The arsenal of weapons includes hospitals, urgent care and private doctors. The personalized care of yesterday is now becoming a management machine. There will be call centers and electronics. Everything will have a system and a plan and a protocol. There will be no room for individuality and compassion. The private doctors who have sold out are now employees and with that, they have lost whatever bedside manner they once had. They have to watch their words as they could now be fired like the rest of the staff. It is sad that we have dehumanized our healthcare system.

Reprimand

Yesterday I had to reprimand one of my receptionists. I overheard her "counseling" a patient and that is not good. The receptionist is smart and friendly but not a counselor. She had no right to give advice. After speaking to my boss, I called her into my office and told her that she could not talk to patients in a clinical way. What she told them was not earth shattering, but she has no idea what their triggers are. Telling them to call a friend and go out seems innocent, but what if the patient has rejection issues and the friend cannot go out? Telling the patient to take a long walk seems innocent, but what if seeing a stray dog along the walk is a trigger and their anxiety kicks in? By speaking about personal issues, the patient might begin to think of the receptionist as her friend or confidant and that is not beneficial. The girl did not take the talk well, but that is not my problem. As long as she understands her place in the office, I did my job.

Small Print

There is small print and there is minute print. I have no problem reading small print but this morning I needed to read minute print. I was looking for an expiration date on a coupon and it was impossible to see. I stared at it, focused on it and even put it under a bright light. There was no way that I could make out the date. It must be written in a 1 font. When I give it in to the pizza place, if it is expired, I will ask for it to be honored anyway. I earned it.