If we had known what Clancy’s schedule would be like in Estacado, there’s a better-than-even chance we would have ended up somewhere else for the year. We knew it would be worse than the second or third year of residency, but we didn’t know how close a call it would be to her first year.
She gets no weekends off. The entire year. She’s on call about six nights a month and works 10-12 hour days whenever she’s not on call. It’s proven to be pretty brutal.
The good news is that last weekend she got a brief respite. A couple lucky breaks had her fully awake, not working, and not tired for the first time since August. That kind of schedule can be a real drag on a marriage and there are times when our marriage is less than optimal because of it.
But the weekend reminded me what it is like to spend time with her when she’s not exhausted, not sleepy, and not irritable from sleepiness and exhaustion. I’d honestly forgotten what it was like. For one day I got my wife back.
Then this week, with both our families having driven out here because we couldn’t make the trip to either of our respective hometowns, she has been on call three nights two of which on 24-hour shifts.
I make this sound like it’s primarily hard on me and/or hard on the marriage, but of course it’s hardest on her. Even at the moments of greatest turmoil going all the way back when she was in her first year of residency, I can’t help but be in awe at the discipline, work ethic and integrity she displays throughout it all.
I am a very lucky man.
Clancy’s discipline, work ethic and integrity reminds me of Marathon Girl. You are indeed a very lucky man.
Comment by Abel — November 28, 2006 @ 2:23 pm