Counting...

    I've been thinking lately about how much counting I do in a day.  It starts everyday with the alarm clock going off at a certain time.  We lay in bed for ten minutes, checking the clock every few before we actually get up.  Julie gets a shower first, but before she does she checks what numbers show up on the scale.  If the number is smaller than usual she is happy if it is bigger she is sad.  Counting really has an affect on us.
   I drive 23 miles each way for work.  When I get to work I look at the clock and know exactly what I need to do in that allowed time.  Checking the minutes as I prepare the office for the first patient.  Each procedure takes a certain amount of time with my present particular skill set.  I know just about how long it will take me to do a crown and two fillings on a patient when I look in their mouth.  I'm usually right most of the time.  As I'm working I am constantly counting.  Not just what I am doing (impressions, etching, bonding, cementing, etc., etc,..) but what is going on throughout the office.  I hear the phone ring (I count the number of times before it is picked up.)  I hear the x-ray developer initiate and I count till it's done. I hear the doorbell ring and wonder how many people came through.
  I count how many more patients I need to see before I can go home to Julie everyday.  At the end of the day I get handed the deposit.  I look at the numbers and either smile or frown.  I am counting on that money to pay bills.  I go to the bank and make my deposit and always ask for an updated total for my account.  Constantly counting!
   I find that when I get home I relax a bit.  Time and counting becomes less important for about the next two hours.  Usually, Julie and I greet each other and begin to talk about our day and what our hopes and dreams are for the near and far future.  As we talk I become less interested in time and counting.  I also notice that I feel little pressure.  I usually get up and begin dinner at some random time, but Julie and I are still talking.  As time does continue, counting reintroduces himself to me.  We know that we need to get to bed at a certain time so that we can get up and do it all again.
   So what does all of this rambling tell me?  It tells me that perhaps a schedule less filled may be a little healthier for me. What if I stopped worrying about money, weight or distance. Less counting.  Less is more!