Monday, August 11, 2008

My favorite time of the day

Lunch time! Of course, a lot of pharmacists don't get lunch -- they either skip it entirely, thus ending the day dehydrated and ketotic, or they are forced to wolf down some sort of stale sandwich while perched on a stool in front of a computer or huddled in the back room next to the sharps containers. They return from their luxurious 7-minute meal break hopelessly behind and wondering whether it was worth it at all.

Sometimes, when working with a second pharmacist, I actually get a lunch break. I can leave the pharmacy and come back after 30 minutes or so. I've never been one to run errands at lunch. My main goal is to (1) sit down and (2) enjoy some peace and quiet where I don't have to answer a phone or talk to anybody or answer any questions. I don't want any social interaction -- I want to eat and read a book. Some of the people I've worked with will actually go out and sit in their cars, just to enjoy that little cocoon of quiet. It is actually rejuvenating.

This is pretty standard in the pharmacy world. I'm used to it, but I often fantasize about having a different career where I'm working in a big downtown office. I walk out of the building at noon for my lunch hour (!), perhaps with some co-workers and we go down the street to a restaurant where we sit and look at a menu. We eat and maybe get some dessert. That would be awesome. except I would probably weigh 300 pounds. But I can still dream......

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's time for you to join The Pharmacy Alliance (TPA). See us at
www.thepharmacyalliance.com.

TPA is a network of pharmacy professionals dedicated to the dignity, self-respect, and integrity of the individual practitioner. We held our first international meeting in Galveston, Texas, in April and hammered out 14 tenets to guide our professional lives (click on "principles" at the site). Meal time is just one aspect of our movement.