Aftershock

Birthdays should always be happy.  I guess.  I hope.  Mine was a blast....  (?)

For the first time, I worked on my birthday.  I usually reserve this day to relax and unwind.... maybe get myself drunk until I lose track of my age.  Nevertheless, it was a very unusual day.  I started my day, of course, thanking the Lord for another year of cherished good and not so good days which made my past year a collage of bittersweet memories that will definitely make my future shrink rake a fortune.  Every year I am getting up the ladder of becoming a saint...  LOL!

Family from the Philippines called to greet me (as they have been doing since Sunday).  I packed my overnight bag as I planned to spend my day with people.  I was laughing with regret while I was on my way to my car.  I can't believe I did not plan a better way to celebrate the day!  What was constant in my mind was that I will have a better time this coming weekend meeting my friends. 

The first person I met that day was my AIDS patient.  How remarkable!  Questions kept lurking in my mind...will it get any better?!  Well, my schedule included seeing an apathetic patient.  I swear I almost collapsed after I was enveloped by the rabid fumes coming from his mouth.  Next was a sweet lady with shortness of breath.  I was hyperventilating by the time I finished teaching her breathing exercises.  Following that was a visit which has always felt like an audition for the theater guild in high school (that was the 6th week! the longest audition I ever had).   To top it all, the last visit was a joint evaluation with the fill-in Occupational Therapist.  A visit which required the presence of the patient's daughter.  The patient was demented, combative, and aggressive - verbally and physically.  The patient called me a FAKE!  I really wanted to ask her how she saw through me.... she was really good!  LOL.  The highlight of the visit was when the patient attempted to hit me!  I have never appreciated my tummy as her fist bounced.  It could only get better!  I really wanted to burst in laughter when I saw the patient attack the OT!  Certainly, the climax of the visit.  The caregiver rushed to intervene.  I was anxious, excited to end my work day.

Dinner was definitely better.  Japanese food with the first set of friends I met when I came in the US, and a couple of new ones.  As a birthday treat, the restaurant gave a complimentary dessert and my lone shot of alcohol for the occasion.  Satisfied.

Finally, I ended my day wringing my brain to finish the paperwork on the person who abused me on my birthday!  What have I done to deserve this?!

Trivia:  for two consecutive years now, I have spent my birthday with two topnotchers in the Philippine Occupational Therapy Licensure Examinations... in the same year!