People always ask me why I like working the night shift. Can't you
get on days? Well, sure I probably could have switched to days by now,
but ever since I've been working nights it's just worked for me. I
never have that feeling of dread for having to
get out of bed early and go to work or having to wake up to an alarm. I
learned early in life that I am not a morning person although I've
never considered myself a late night person either. I LOVE to go to bed
when I am tired, but I have found a system
that works and discovered that for now night shift is for me as much as
I am for it. Here are
10 things that make the night shift at St. Charles so great.
1. I get to see the beautiful central Oregon sunsets with a 5th
floor view of the full Cascade mountain range. And a bonus, in the
summer when the days are short I also get to see the even more gorgeous
sunrise before I get off shift. It's been a gloomy
winter, but hopefully I can post some pictures of pretty sunsets soon.
2. I am able to sleep pretty well during the day time and get up
early enough to pick up my kid after school. Commence the " I need a
snack" routine and "did you do your homework" as I figure out something
to make for dinner before heading back to work.
The hour and a half that I see my kiddos on my workdays is not much,
but it's prime time (if not their "needy" time) and I like the fact that
we can still make family dinner consistent.
3. The differential makes a difference.
4. I have a really good excuse to consume greater amounts of coffee (my number one drink of choice).
5. My lunch time is still 12:30 but in the A.M.
6. The hospital is less busy with the hustle of the day which means less people, therapies, visitors and chaos.
7. I almost never see any of my managers.
8. This is a big one. I love my coworkers!! The night shift seems
to have a different gene or something. We play it cool, help each other
out, and also give each other space and grace. It's definitely a good
crew.
9. There is a little more downtime where I get to collect my thoughts which is essential when I am a mother of 3.
10. The 30 minute commute gives me plenty of time to get my Kidd Kraddick in the morning fix.
*** The one thing not so great about the night shift (other than the
grouch that surfaces every now and again) is the fact that I have to
park in the cold, cold parking lot overnight and not in my climate
controlled garage. My body has all but went into
shutdown mode by the time 0630 rolls around and I have to trudge into
the freezing winter and scrape/dig out my car from the ice and snow.
But then that's only part of the year. The spring/summer mornings are
filled with fresh smells and dew kissed mornings.
And when fall arrives there is a crispness that resonates in the colors.
And when it's not winter, I get to see sunsets like these from the 5th floor windows.
. . .and later in the shift, the sunrise.
almost home.
And, my kids are not deprived. . . I bring them doughnuts in the morning. If I remember. . . so one night Corinne wrote me a note that I carried in my pocket.
Thanks to all who support my different schedule who help watch my
kids, try and rearrange social gatherings and holidays even, and don't
judge me when I'm a little (or a lot) cranky sometimes.
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| Now, it's time for me to get some sleep:) |
