GETTING OFF THE HAMSTER WHEEL

By Vicki Rackner, M.D.

I was counting the moments. Which checkout line at the grocery store would be the fastest?  I had to choose the line sure to get me out of the store fastest. Which one was it? Bill, the friendly, efficient clerk, had only a few people in line with a few items in hand-carried baskets. I decided this was the one. I got in line.

My projections led me astray. This was the slowest line.  Bill was interrupted by many customers on their way out of the grocery store.  He greeted most by name.  I saw warm smiles and several hugs.

When my turn came I said, “Bill, it’s obvious you’re well loved.  What’s your secret?”  He replied, “It’s simple. Each morning when I get up I decide that I’ll try to make every person who crosses my path a little better off.”

I was embarrassed. Here I was, counting the moments. There he was, making each moment count.

Make Every Moment Count

As a caregiver, you might feel like you have three or four full time jobs (you probably do). It’s so easy to jump on the hamster wheel and run furiously so you don’t get too far behind.  It takes great discipline to get off the hamster wheel and decide to invest time and energy into small acts of kindness that nourish your soul and the souls of others. 

Here are 7 quick ways you can make moments count: 

1. Tuck a note in your kids’ lunch, or in your loved one’s pill box telling them how much you love them and how proud you are of them.
2. Buy yourself fresh flowers.
3. Right after you give your mom her medicine, tell her about a time that she made a difference in your life.
4. Say thank you to those who get so few thanks, like the garbage man or the visiting nurse.  Remind them what your life would be like without them. 
5. Call a complaint line and let them know how much you love the product.
6. Turn off the phone, the computer and the TV, and then ask your dad, “Will you tell me a story?”
7. Start a bedtime ritual with your significant other…tell each other one thing that made you laugh that day.

I’ll bet that as you make moments count, you will have more moments to count!

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