Nightmare

It was one of those compressed dreams that comes in between the time you turn off the alarm and roll over for a few more minutes of rest or sleep. This morning it must have been sleep - deep sleep because suddenly I was back being a charge nurse.
I was in charge of a unit that was part nursing home and part hospital. I know this because they were bringing patients down from surgery. I couldn't get anything done. My aides and other nurses weren't talking to me. I had to be in charge, give out meds, take off doctor's orders, check vital signs and I was always trying to get the resident list with assignments together - I was busy but accomplishing nothing.

I forced myself to wake up, heart pounding deep inside all the way down to my stomach - with the dread that the dream was just a portent of my day's reality. It isn't. I will never be a charge nurse again - my back couldn't take the strain.

Maybe it wasn't a nightmare - maybe it was a reminder that things are not always as bad as they may seem.