After all, what could be more important than...?

Since I travel a great deal for work, time at home is quite precious.  Translated, that means I have to wedge all my haircuts, nail appointments, and doctor visits into pockets of time between travel.  Such was my day yesterday.  I was long overdue for a visit to the optometrist, but had purposefully asked how long the exam would take as I had a conference call to schedule on the same morning.  "You'll for sure be out of here in one hour" said the lying, I mean friendly, receptionist.  
Knowing that my time is extremely valuable to all, I scheduled the conference call for 10:30, 1 1/2 hours after my optometrist appointment was scheduled.  Surely that will be enough time, I figured.  Are you wondering, yet, if perhaps being cooped up in airplanes with not enough fresh air for extended amounts of time might have clouded my thinking?
And so I was, at 10:25, having taken every possible eye test ever invented (watch the red star as it blinds you for the next five minutes, try to read the tiny print from 15 feet away.....without your contacts, let me touch your eye with what looks like litmus paper, and about 425 more....), the doctor came back with my trial pair of new multi-focal contact lenses.  In essence, what this means is:  you will be able to see somewhat far away and somewhat close up but only half as well as you would normally see far away or up close.  Capiche?  
The optometrist begins telling me about the structure of the eye and all its pieces and parts (I think I remember having to label those in 7th grade), as I fretted about the time.  I was supposed to be on a phone call with my publisher in two minutes.  As the doctor took a breath from excitedly telling me all I ever wanted to know about the optic nerve, I said, "Ummm..." That was all it took.  He sat back on his rolling stool, and looked at me expectantly.  "I am really sorry, but I have to take a phone call in about one minute.  I mistakenly thought we would be finished in an hour."  The optometrist looked at me with what could only be called disdain, and said, "Yes, but what could possibly be more important than your eyecare?"  Wowee...  how to answer that.
We finished up and I was able to take my call, albeit a few minutes delayed.


I began thinking about his question:  in what do I place my highest priority?  I try not to put my proverbial eggs in one basket because, frankly, I have lots of baskets, but I really believe his question is a good one, even if it might not have been completely timely.


We make time for the things that are important to us.  There is really no excuse, for example, for saying, "I can't belong to a gym.  I don't have time" when we make time to watch "Walking Dead".  It just depends on what we are placing our priorities.  


Today, since I am home for the week, I took sweet Rudy (our youngest Lab) out for a hike in Wild Burro Canyon.  With the sun and the cool breeze enveloping us both, she flitted from one new scent to another, taking precaution not to stick her nose in a cactus (that lesson was learned a year ago).  As we reached the top of the ridge, we sat down on a flat rock that overlooked the expanse of the canyon.  She nosed my hand so I would be petting her fur on her neck.  I told her I loved her and was happy to be with her.  Why?  Because, after all, what could be more important than this?


Happy Communicating!


Shelly 

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