We’re busy, very busy. Over the past several months, our inpatient
census has run high. In our clinics, our providers see a lot of patients. In
part, this is a sign that our organization is healthy; more people than ever
before are choosing us and entrusting the care of themselves and their loved
ones to us.
This also means that in some areas of our organization, our co-workers
are short staffed and working exceptionally hard. That’s not so healthy. It
often makes the rest of life very difficult. Thus, thank you to everyone who’s
working overtime, filling in and making sacrifices to keep our hospitals and
clinics functioning. It’s an added burden and one that doesn’t go unnoticed. While
the personal meaning we find in our work, as well as the camaraderie we share
with our colleagues can make even the most difficult times seem less so, there
is a limit – it’s when a work-life balance feels like anything but that.
When our lives get out of balance there are many people who end up paying
the price. After all, there’s no such thing as quality time with our loved ones
just like there’s no such thing as an efficient relationship. The fact is that
quality moments are born from the same substance that all moments come from –
time. The more time we spend with our families and friends the more likely we
are to have those special moments that we remember. Thus spouses, children,
close friends and relatives are the ones who see less of us when work takes
more of us.
Work-life balance means different things to us at 24 and 34 and 54 and
74. The work priorities that we may have when we’re young often take a back
seat to marriages, children, close relationships and other choices that come
along as we get older. What was once important may start to feel less so as life
unfolds and we become misers with the time we once spent so freely. Time that
may seem better spent with those who love us unconditionally.
Of course none of this changes the fact that most of us want and need
to work. Meaningful work can give us a sense of purpose, fill us with
excitement, be a source of accomplishment, grow our self-esteem and provide us
with the opportunity to become better people. Which leads to these questions: Are you still able to strike the right
balance between your work at Mercy and the rest of your life’s priorities? What seems to push you off balance, and what
do you do to regain it?
I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me – I’m interested in your
thoughts. Please email me at alan.scarrow@mercy.net.
