I Don’t Have Time For This!

The biggest way resistance conveniently shows up is in some version of “I don’t have time for this!” When I worked in the emergency room, many of my patients made this statement, whether they were dealing with a broken ankle or a heart attack.

It was a Monday morning when a forty-four-year-old impeccably dressed female rushed through the ER doors demanding pain pills. “I’m having some jaw pain. I tried Ibuprofen, but I’m needing something a little stronger. And I’m in a hurry!” she ranted breathlessly.

After I told her we would have to do a complete assessment before we could give her anything, she replied, “Assessment! How long is that gonna take? I don’t have time for this! I have to get back to work, take my boys to practice, and my mother-in-law to the doctor!”

I noticed tiny beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and her face was ashen gray. After a little more questioning, it turned out Jill really hadn’t felt well for two weeks. She was always tired and breathless after even routine activities, such as taking a shower or climbing the stairs. The whole time we talked, Jill was checking her watch, staring at her cell phone, and asking me, “Are we about done?”

After a few tests, it didn’t take long to recognize Jill was having a heart attack. She was scheduled for a cardiac catheterization that afternoon, but when I went into her room to tell her, she was gone!

Jill had left the building because she didn’t have time for a heart attack. She was too busy taking care of her two bosses, her three boys, and her sick mother-in-law.

How ridiculous is it to think you don’t have time for your own heart attack? What could possibly be more pressing?  Although this is an extreme example (and completely true), is there something in your life you need to make more time for?