The physical (otherwise know as why I NEED coffee)

30. Get a physical. (And not just the “girly” stuff)

I had my physical on Wednesday.  On the way there, during the physical, and on the way home I learned a lot of things about myself.  Some things I think I already knew, and some were surprising to me.  Here are my discoveries:

1. I am 100% addicted to coffee.  This was a fasting physical, and the phone call I got the day before the exam told me nothing but water after midnight.  That morning I yelled at the kids, sent a nasty note to the preschool, and cut people off in traffic.  I am NO FUN unless I have had my coffee in the morning.
2. I prefer FEMALE doctors.  And I mean doctors of all kind.  I realized in the waiting room that I have a female GYN, a female PCP, and even a female dentist.  I will only take advice from someone who is realistic about how a mom of 3 can "take it easy" or deal with stress.
3. I am so glad that I exercise and watch what I eat.  There was no stress involved when they asked me how often I exercised or if I eat a balanced diet.
4. My blood pressure is WAY lower when the kids are in school than it is when they are not.  When I was at the chiropractor with all 3 kids my resting BP was 130/80 and when I was at my doctor's appt alone it was 110/60.
5. There are more than one way to look at everything.  I told my doctor about my chiropractor's concern that my body never relaxes.  She told me that while she could see that was probably true, while he called it out of alignment, she called it a Type A personality. 

I am glad that I finally took the time to get the physical.  Blood tests will be back soon, but so far everything looks good.  I do, however, want to share what happened that morning- just a typical morning in my life, made worse by the absence of coffee.

Putting Jack in the car with his ride this morning I found a note stapled to his bag.  It was an invoice for February tuition, with a $10 late fee added on (remember, tuition is due Feb. 1 and it is now Feb. 9.)  I think back and realize that I never paid for February.  Thinking back some more, I realize that they never sent home the envelope for me to put the payment in. You see, I NEED reminders.  I have been paying for this preschool for EIGHT years and still have to look at the envelope every month to see how much to write the check for.  When they send home the big manila envelope with the amount due written in huge letters, I write a check, stick it in the envelope, and send it back.

Since I have not had coffee and I am REALLY hungry at this point I grab the invoice, scribble a nasty note on it about how if you want me to pay you have to send me the envelope, shove it in his bag with a check for tuition NOT including the late fee, and send him on his way.  The whole way to the doctor I go over the note in my head and think about all of the ways I could have handled that better.

I get to the doctor's office and they take me right back.  Not five minutes later, my cell phone rings.  It is the preschool.  Horrified that they are going to confront me about my note, I let it go to voicemail.  Still waiting by myself after the call, I check the message.

"Hey Miriam, this is *** from the preschool.  I think I sent a note home with Jack yesterday about tuition...if you could call me back, I just want to make sure that I didn't misplace your check or anything since you guys are always right on time.  If there are issues this month and you are not able to pay right away, that is okay too...just let me know that everything is okay."

At this point I gulp.  She has NOT gotten my note yet.  She was so sweet about the phone call.  I immediately text Jack's teacher..."Can you make sure the director gets the check I put in Jack's bag?"  I get a text right back, "Jack didn't bring his bag today."  Great.

I call the person he rode with, and it turns out his bag is still in her car.  She is near there and is going to drop it by, and explain that I wrote the note BEFORE the phone call.  I feel horrible at this point, and I just want the check to get there.  I finish my appointment and head home, waiting for Jack to arrive home with my friend and see how it went when she dropped it off.

When she pulls up I immediately ask her how it went.  She had to leave it on the desk because the director wasn't there.  Do I call and apologize now?  I decide to just ignore it, and pretend that the whole thing didn't happen.  I get some coffee (FINALLY) and start to unwind.   I rethink the whole morning, and I decide that "thinking before you speak" applies to writing notes as well.  I should always reread notes before I send them in.  Thirty-nine years old, and still learning.

The next day I get another invoice in his back, this one for the $10 late fee, with a note on it reading, "Late fee waived- I will make sure to send Jack's envelope to you this month."  I am relieved, and humbled a little bit.  Thank goodness for people who can calmly think through things, and don't see everything as a reason to start a confrontation.  I feel very glad that this is the place we have chosen to educate our children.

And you can BET that my tuition will be on time next month.