A&O x 3 ?

I have to admit that so far I'm loving this part time gig. Everyone told me that I would but I'm one of those people who has to see for myself. There is one thing that's been throwing me off a bit.

If you're a nurse you'll recognize the title or at least understand what it means. The letters in medical jargon mean Alert and Oriented to person, place and time. I'm happy to say that I'm much more alert now that I only have to drag myself and two little people out of the house at the crack of dawn (or before) three days a week. Sleep is a wonderful thing. I worried at first that I would still be up at 5am when Earl was getting ready. However, I have completely slept through his morning routine quite nicely.

My problems now lie with the rest of the mental status assessment...oriented to person, place and time - not so much. Yesterday, you might remember, was the first day that we didn't have to specifically be anywhere. How strange for those of us who are used to having every single minute plotted out. I'll admit to being at a loss when it came a morning routine or even a plan. It didn't take long though until the kids and I were on our way to Michael's to purchase some crafts for rainy days. It hit me that if I was going to be home more I would need something to do. I have never been to Michael's and I'm pretty certain that I'll need to stay far away from there for awhile. Our craft store trip got us all the way to 11am and lunch. That's pretty easy right? And it was. The kids ate a quick lunch as I scurried around gathering swimming suits, floaties, sunscreen, and snacks. By 12:30 we were headed to the pool. It was much less crowded than the last time we were there and we didn't specifically go with any friends. I recognized a few people and there was a girl there from work who I chatted with a bit. But it was another reminder that I need to keep making friends outside of Geisinger and work. I'm still finding my way a bit.

Above all though, time is where I've been completely thrown for a loop. When I was working full time I was glued (more like chained) to my calendar. Every afternoon I would print out the agenda for the next day's meetings, appointments and long list of "to-do's". I was always painfully aware of the date and sometimes every agonizing minute of the day. Not anymore. I have no idea what the date is or what the clock says. You might be thinking, "Well isn't that great Emily, isn't that how you would prefer it?" Ummm...yes, but when you nearly miss your son's well baby check, write the wrong date on a check more than once, or have to have a five year old remind you that there are only 13 days until school starts - not the way I had pictured it.

So I guess alert and oriented x1 would probably lead to a full fledged neurology work up any other time. But I'm just going consider it part of my new learning curve. A curve that might last a little while. So, if you see me wandering around aimlessly please just make sure I have the appropriate number of kids with me and remind me of the date. I should be okay from there.