Hello after a long-ish hiatus!
As I write this, I am drowning in lethargy in the middle of a bustling coffee shop - trying my best to absorb alertness from the surrounding environment and from my caffeinated drinks. As a non-coffee drinker, I even resorted to taking a sip of A's iced coffee (yuck). The primary intention of visiting was for me to read - but after a few pages, and many yawns later, I have realised that continuing this effort will probably result in a semi-comatose customer drooling on a cafe's clean, nicely polished wooden table.
Really goes to show that the All Mighty has plans for everything - one might have the noblest of intentions, but in the end of the day Allah swt knows best. After many challenging weeks at work lately, I found myself struggling to find meaning. Of late, I have been an autopilot at work - clock in, work, clock out. Counting the minutes to the end of the shifts, one foot in front of the other, one patient after another. On one particular day for instance, the trains decided not to work yet again during a weekend shift. I had a choice to make - to turn up to work late, or to fork out a sizable sum of money to pay for an Uber to take me to work.
"But its alot of money!" I said whilst talking through the dilemma with A.
"Yes, but people are relying on you."
"I doubt that the hospital are going to pay me back though - they never do. And this is a alot of money for just transport."
A paused, gave me a minute to collect my thoughts and to calm down.
Then he said, "You do realise that the work you do is filled with blessings, don't you? You take care of the sick, you help make them better. That money spent for an Uber is ultimately a small investment - not only for your professional life, but also on your spiritual self - on your Hereafter. So it is never ever a waste."
I sat there, taking it all in - realising I no longer have a legitimate rebuttal to this argument. He was right; completely right. In the months where I just plodded on in work, I had lost my purpose and drive. And it was high time that I renewed by intentions. For me, medicine has never been just a job, it has been a calling. But this is easily forgotten through the demanding nature of its work. So I am eternally grateful that A is here to remind me of what is truly important.
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