Light

I don't advocate working 80 hours a week, most of those hours at night. I don't recommend spending all waking hours indoors or in a car when it is dark outside. I don't suggest that most of your working hours be spent with people who are pretty miserable (and a little angry) in a place that is strangely cold all the time, though wearing four layers is usually enough. This is not an ideal job.

But. After doing it for two very full weeks, the one day off before another six day stretch is like being reborn. I used to adamantly defend the ability to appreciate the beauty of any particular day despite the fact that many days are beautiful and appreciated. "I lived in California," I would say, "Most days there include perfect blue skies and just the right amount of sun. I used to see my best friends every day. And we knew that. We appreciated the weather and each other each day. The day was not less perfect just because there were lots of perfect days."

I may have to take it back a tiny bit. This five week stretch of working nights (halfway through now) is proof that deprivation really does lead to greater appreciation.

The sun? How amazing that the earth continues to revolve and spin so as to allow for light Every Day.

Naps? I've taken three naps today (all unplanned), and am so thankful for the bed by a window and the soft comforter that I thought would be a good thing in which to wrap myself for a few episodes of Storage Wars.

Real conversation? Talking to my sister in person, a bff online, my parents on the phone, my amor on skype . . . all remind me that I'm a normal person and that I know normal people too. I don't simply make children cry and parents sigh. It's nice to know (refreshing!) that there are other roles for me.

Pretty pictures of food and art? How nice it is to just browse online photos and coffee table books. So much beauty in the world and so oft-captured so well.

The list goes on. This post was going to be a rant about some recent realizations regarding fundamental problems in a for-profit children's hospital (and parents who don't want to be parents), but my gratefulness for being alive has superseded that and this has evolved into something a bit more positive.