Saturdays have become somewhatnon-existent for me when I realized that I was pretty much doing the same things over and over. I worked as a nurse at the hospital, with most of my shifts scheduled from 11 pm to 7 in the morning. Worseorse, Tuesday was my only day off so most of my friends and family would still be stuck in the middle of their work, leaving me a book to read and a can of ice cold beer to unwind and let go of a week’s worth of stress.

I tried my best not to think about my friends come Saturday night. I did not want to imagine the leather wine carrier my best friend Carl always brought when there were pre-night-out dinners. I’d be rushingfrom one corridor to the top floor of the 11-storey building all night while everyone else was painting the town red. For the entire 8 hours I followed doctors, wrote down hospital notes and did everything from applyingbandages to saving lives.

The Morning After

When I’d return to my locker to pack up at around 7:15 on Sunday morning, my cellular phone would be full of text messages and missed calls from virtually every person I know. My brother mentioned how he got engravable cufflinks to spice up his attire. Michelle was ecstatic about the concert they went to and how she got free engraved zippo lighters, courtesyof the hot vocalist. My friends, I can say, are quite popularwhen it comes to partying so they never really have any problems getting freebies, VIP passes and other discounts.

Overall, I do not regret not being able to party much these days. I have a stable job and a good salary which afforded me engravable cufflinks as well. I just don’t know when or where I’m going to get to wear them. Scrubs and slip-ons have been my attire for 3 months now. Although I no longer get to go throughthe rush after having a couple of drinks, I do get ecstaticevery time I see other health professionals rushing towards a patient or area. Hospital life is actually not that boring, even if you’re working only at night.

Doing Better Things

It’s actually good that I’ve finally found comfortin what I do. I might miss the usual Saturday get-togethers but I find that doing good in my job and making up for the lost time during the day is still very achievable, regardless of your shift. I made it a point to eat healthy, exercise and get enough sleep. Adjusting my body clock was pretty easy. When I’d get home at 8 am, I’d take a quick bath then hit the bed. I’d be up by around 3 or 4pm then would get my late “breakfast”. I’d either selectto watch some TV, do some house chores or buy some stuff at the mall or nearby grocery store.

I’d be done by around 8 so I’d hit a 90-minute workout before finally going back to my work routine. It isn’t all that bad if you come to think of it. I guess routines can be the most amazing things if you derive some meaning in what you do and continuouslyset objectives to keep you on your toes.