Long Hours = Grouchy Me.

I really just think I wasn't cut out to work 12-hour days. I scrambled to get my hours all done by yesterday so that I could have a long weekend again, and I only half-achieved it. It's such a let down to work all the live-long day and then not get the day off you were expecting. I'm just being a whiner, I know. You don't have to read this.

But while I'm at it, here are things I wish would/would not happen in my job.

1. I wish people would not cancel or no-show. It happens a lot less now that I go to people's houses, but people still stand me up from time to time, or cancel. Which is why I have to see people today. It's just common courtesy, you know?
2. I wish everyone would stop threatening to "send [their kids] off."
3. I wish my 4:00 appointment kid would talk to me, because 4:00 is my nap-time and I almost fell asleep on him yesterday.
4. I wish other therapists/service coordinators/etc. would only make referrals to me for people who actually want or need in-home, intensive therapy. Otherwise it puts me in a really awkward position where they're like, "Yeah, we don't have any problems with him at home/school. Who are you again?" (it's only happened twice, but still.)

That's pretty much it for the moment. I know I just need to suck it up and 1)be more assertive with people about no-shows/cancellations, 2)continue trying to change the false notion that sending your kids off gets great results, 3)take a power nap before I visit the quiet kid, and 4)communicate with the referral source about why-the-heck they referred Mr. Perfect and his perfect family for in-home therapy.

Sigh. Yesterday morning we had a work meeting. Our boss asked us to write down why we do this work, and to tape the little paper in a place we'd see it. I wrote two things: 1) Because relationships matter, and 2) Because I get to be the Lord's hands. Why is it so hard to keep that perspective sometimes?

I'm sorry for complaining. Things will get better.