It baffles me sometimes what people lose sleep over. It baffles me even more what people will pull over on the side of the road to post about on social media. (Actually, it baffles me even more, what I’ve lost sleep over).
An old friend of mine used to suggest that if something won’t matter in five years, then it isn’t worth worrying about today, (and it certainly isn’t worth pulling over on the side of the road to make a FaceBook post about either).
I’ve gotten pretty good over the past few years at not letting stuff that won’t matter in five years keep me awake at night, but I’d be lying if I said I never fail miserably at that. Last night was one of those failure nights :/
But, leave it to an afternoon patient to remind me of what does and doesn’t matter. After sharing a waltz with my patient to an old piano tune, Bob sat down for lunch in the dining area.
Bob: “I can’t eat this! It’s too dry, and it has no taste!”
Me: “I’ll take care of it.” I took his lunch to the kitchen, cut up his burger, and threw some gravy on his meat and mashed potatoes. When I returned it to him, he’d already forgotten who I was.
Bob: “Oh, thank you! What’s your name?”
Me: “Rita. My name is Rita.” (I have seen him weekly for eight months).
Bob: “Are you my waitress, Rita?”
Me: “Yes, Bob. I’m your waitress.” (Cuz, why not?)
Bob: “Oh good. Can I get a lemonade?”
Me: “Of course you can, Bob. I’ll be right back.”
Thanks, Bob. Thanks for reminding me how much I LOVED being a waitress. Even Larry, my brother who has a successful career as a physician, calls me now and then to remind me of the good old days, when he cooked and I waited tables at the Pink Palace Restaurant in Livonia, Michigan. “That’s the best job we ever had!” he says. It was, Larry. It really, really was.
Eh… tonight maybe it’s not so much about what does matter, as it is about what doesn’t.
A lot of junk in life just. doesn’t. matter. (And most of it isn’t worth FaceBooking about).
Today, it just mattered that Bob got to eat, he was even able to feed himself, and for a short time, he forgot that his wife has passed and he lives alone in a nursing home. It also mattered that Bob got to enjoy believing he was out to lunch with his buddies. Five years from now, I’ll remember today. I’ll remember that waltz, and I’ll remember how much Bob liked Rita the waitress fixing up his food and bringing him a lemonade.
And me? Well, I got to forget about all that junk that really just doesn’t matter.
It was a really good day. Thanks Bob.
PS) What’s keeping you awake at night? Is it going to matter in five years? If not – then don’t lose another minute of sleep over it.
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