Unless you are brought to the hospital in an ambulance, the first place that you visit is triage. It’s the station where the severity of your injury or illness is determined in order to prioritize treatment. Broken bones take precedent over upset stomachs and so on. People who can wait, often do, for long periods of time in the waiting room. However no one stays in triage for very long. Once your situation is determined, it is time to move on to get the help that you need or wait your turn. Triage is not an outcome!
This is so apparent when dealing with a medical emergency. No one would forego seeing the doctor so that they could stay with the triage nurse longer to describe their situation. However when it comes to our lives, many of us seem to desire eternal triage. Describing the horrible situation that we are in with excruciating detail to friends, family, classmates, coworkers and even strangers. Rather than doing something about the situation that we lament, we pile on more and more description. The unfortunate thing is that many people seem to want to turn their paper-cut into a shotgun wound. This situation is at the forefront today because it is Monday. A day that many people dread because it is just too far away from the weekend. Does this day carry with it any particular issue? No, it is just the story that we’ve made up in our heads.
So here we are at the door to the emergency room. What are you going to do today? Spend the entire day describing your issues to the triage nurse in order to make your headache seem like a stroke. Or check yourself for bullet holes and if you need real help, go get it. Or most likely, you can handle this on your own/with the help of those close to you. Describing the problem with more clarity is rarely the answer. Moving forward takes action, no matter how small. Clawing your way toward a destination is far better than hoping it will be attracted by the sound of your complaints!
Today is an opportunity, not a punishment!
Pete
Huryk Unlimited 