Welcome back to my weekend reflections, where I dive into the highs and lows of my workweek!
I hope everyone stayed warm and safe during this winter storm! Luckily, we didn’t lose power, and the storm didn’t hit us as badly as predicted.
High: I went into this weekend prepared, knowing the hospital might call in teams. On Thursday, my manager told me teams hadn’t been activated yet—these are the people who stay in the hospital to “ride out” the storm—but if I wanted to stay, I could voluntarily spend the night in my office without missing work. I packed like they were going to call teams anyway because, in the back of my mind, I knew that ice + Houston = city shutdown. Add in my commute of over an hour each way, and driving home Saturday night in dropping temperatures, rain, and slippery roads was not happening.
Sure enough, around 9:45 am on Saturday, my director called to say teams were being activated. Since I was already planning to stay, I volunteered to take a spot on Team A—even though I was technically on Team B this year, the team that comes in after the storm. It worked out perfectly, and my colleague who was on Team A got to stay home with her baby.
I had packed food for myself, but the hospital provides all meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—so I didn’t need any of it. The actual work wasn’t too bad—thankfully! By 5 pm Sunday, the code was lifted, and we were able to go home after just one night in the hospital.
Low: Sleeping in the hospital, working 8 hours on Sunday, and then jumping into a 12-hour shift on Monday has left me mentally exhausted. I am so glad I have four days to rest and recover!