I chose to…

I have a choice as to whether I let external factors bother me or not.

Woke up at 6 am, got ready, ate a good breakfast because I get grumpy without food, grabbed my coffee (travel mug) and set out to walk to the bus stop for the 7:05 am bus. I looked forward to Tuesdays because I am a trainee at a clinic that does many prenatal check-ups. I love that…Sipped my coffee, looked at the beautiful mountains in the distance and my bus arrived…. This is where the “I chose to…” began….

• Second day in a row the bus driver didn’t respond to my good morning. Realized in panic that I forgot to load $ into bus card (my fault completely). Started digging through my wallet for change, bus driver yelled at me to get behind the yellow line. Missed my stop in the process of looking for change.
  • I chose not to be angry at myself or the driver. I requested a stop, said thank you and got off. 
• I am still figuring out this city and its bus routes, so I decided to taxi it to the clinic as I didn’t want to risk being late.
  • It was more expensive than I expected but I chose to not take my frustration out on the taxi driver…. please, thank yous and smiles go a long way. 
• 7:45 am. Arrived at the clinic in time!
  • I chose to be happy and smile because the staff and patients deserve that….I got some pretty awesome patients and cases today! 
• 1:30 pm. Finished up work. Had to run over to the second clinic as I forgot to complete a patient note from yesterday. In the process of crossing the road at the pedestrian crosswalk, I almost get hit by a car.
  • I let it go, breathe….
• 2:15 pm. Finished up my note, grabbed a coffee to get change for the bus back home. Made small talk with an elderly man who wanted to sell me pearl earrings that he had bought for his girlfriend, but….well the relationship was not going well. I politely declined. My bus arrived, waved bye and left.
• On the bus checked my email….yikes….Received an email from a person whom I broke off a friendship over a year and a half ago. She still continues to write spiteful emails a year later….
  • I chose not to respond (just like all other emails). Shut off my phone, almost home.
• 3 pm. Made it home. Took a shower, slipped and almost fell in the kitchen due to wet feet.
  • I am ok. I survived the day. 
• Heated up the pizza I took for lunch and brought back because there was no time for lunch today. Skype chatted with my husband, I felt/feel so much better.

Looking back now, what would have happened if I had been grumpy from the get-go?  Maybe my whole day would have been different. The domino effect. Passing on the bad moods and vibes. Maybe it would have turned out worse. I would have made a bad impact on the staff, my attending, my patients. Not good.

I have to make a conscious effort to not let external factors bother me, my mood and my decisions. It’s a day to day learning process. I won’t beat myself up over a bad day or a bad decision but I will always try to work towards being a better person.