Perfect Timing, But not my Time Frame

I am many things, patient is NOT one of them!  It got worse over the 10 plus years I worked fast food management.  Everything in life needs to occur in under 3 minutes.... I am being forced  to learn about timing... and not my own choice in timing.  Here are the examples in my past week alone, four of them.

The Buses

Last year by this point into the year, all the buses had come and dropped off by 8:40am (the time when school starts), and I would stay 5 more minutes (10 if I noticed late students walking/parking parents across the street.) to ensure all the walkers made it safely across the street.
This year however, buses are taking longer.  All the big buses are there by about 8:45.  But the handicap bus doesn't arrive until 8:55-9:00.  I am impatient and don't overly enjoy the idle time from when the walkers/last big bus comes between 8:40-8:45 and the slowness until 9.  I keep smiling, and waving, and play mind games to pass the time.  But on Friday (20th) at about 8:50 I noticed a man in his electronic wheel chair coming down the hill, on the sidewalk across the busy street, likely for the 9am city bus that stops on the corner.  Then I noticed he was falling, but couldn't tell if he needed help.  I stalled for about a minute (I shouldn't have but honestly I couldn't tell if he needed help or not) and darted across the street and a block up the road to the man who was obviously wheelchair bound and didn't have the muscle or ability to move himself back into his chair.  A regular neighborhood man waiting on the bus quickly joined me as well as a regular parent who was in the parking lot.  Between the three of us we got him back into his wheel chair and he was ok other than an obviously sore hand, although he wasn't complaining.  He had been holding his weight on his hands/wrists for that minute I stalled and 30 seconds it took to race to him.  He was so very thankful and kept thanking the three of us.  Had the handicap bus for the school come at 8:40am I wouldn't have seen the man in need of help and who knows how long it would have taken someone else to notice, since he wasn't on the main busy street, but on the side street.  Had it been earlier by much, the man at the bus stop wouldn't have been there to help me lift him.  It was not good he fell, but within perfect timing that is he was to fall the help he needed was within reach.  The wheelchair bound man and man who helped both made it onto the city bus, with just seconds to spare as well.  And Just as I finished helping the man my handicap bus came and I still stopped traffic so he could cross, although not quite as quickly as I normally would have.  I haven't complained (mentally, as I never verbally complained) about waiting those extra 15 minutes over the last week, and I doubt I will (ok until the cold of winter at least).  It's a new perspective.

The Ride

On Monday after a 3rd shift weekend, I was trying to grab a nap after crossing guard but before volunteering (9:30-11:15... when at 10:40  mom calls and says one of the teachers is sick and needs a ride home, she has no car and could I give her a ride to Amherst.  I annoyingly, agreed, got up through clothes in the dryer and went.  I get to school and am told I am taking her 25min away to Alta Vista area.  I was dreading catching the flu or something as well and she seemed ok-- no coughing/sneezing/excessive germ sharing.  Interestingly she had substituted for Ant's class the week before and she is engaged to the regular substitute for Jayna's class.  I am admittedly timid around new people, yet she was friendly and didn't make it too awkward.  30 mins later I made it to her house.  She offered money which I refused, because I think you should do what you are able without expecting something in return whenever you have been blessed with the resources to do so.  Again, totally not in my timing and initially done with a poor attitude, but in the end it is as rewarding to me as it was helpful to her.  I honestly do like to be helpful and a gift giver to my kids schools-- both at Sheffield and now at Doss.  Volunteering warms my heart really and feed my soul.

The Speech

Our weeks are full and everyday we have a sport and/or activity planned.  However, I got an email the end of last week about the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center dinner/speaker fundraiser with Gianna Jessen as Guest speaker.  I totally wanted to go, although it is one of our 2 busiest nights (Cross country til 5:30, Football til 7:20- plus homework, supper, baths and bed at 9ish).  Impressively, NEITHER kid had homework!  How they managed that, I wouldn't know, but it certainly was the perfect night for it in our family.  It was a nice evening.  Our table was only 1/2 full and I didn't have to socialize much which is my preference. 

The Eyes

Finally, we made it to Thursday: a Big day we'd been waiting MONTHS for:  Jayna's eye specialist appointment in Charlottesville.  I picked the kidlets up from school at 11:30.  We hopped by the house for the ipad and then to pick Grandma up at 12.  Marko said to give us 2 hours to get there, but we made very good timing, and just killed time for 30 minutes. The waiting room, Quick!  For me that is a MUST, but obviously I have made exceptions but no return visits after waiting excessive lengths.  Jayna Had pictures of her eyes taken then we went to the exam room.  Dr Clark came in and was FRIENDLY.  That has been rare in my experience along this never ending process.  The last Dr seemed more annoyed we brought her in than helpful.  Perhaps she just had a large work load and needed to hurry along... but this was as polar opposite as possible.  Dr Clark only minimally talked to me, instead she did MUCH better, she talked TO JAYNA.  They are Jayna's eyes after all, so Dr Clark in detail to the level an 8 year old can grasp explained the eye using a eye model.  They took it apart explained some of the parts and their jobs.  She showed Jayna her eye pictures.  She then did her testing on Jayna without wasting my time re-testing unnecessary things.  We knew medically her eyes are healthy from two previous eye doctors so that wasn't needed- no eye dilating, or eye health exam.  What we wanted to know was eye muscle workage not eye health (20/20 or lack there of). She did multiple tests, she would "cheer" Jayna along telling her how well she was doing and how she would do xyz so well etc.  This kept her from getting nervous and second guessing herself.  Obviously this doctor really is a pediatric specialist!  So in the end she verbally gave us the results in a "non-offensive manner".  She said both Dr Ganser and Dr Culp are right, and I can see why they said what they did, with their different opinions.  Dr Ganser was looking at it merely from a surgical stance.  No Jayna doesn't need surgery.  Dr Culp however was correct and she does have Convergence Insufficiency.  Jayna's eye muscle ability is similar to that of a 6-6.5 year old and Jayna is 8.5.  Viewing things from a distance, she can do.  Anything close that she needs to focus she is having extreme difficulty.  Dr. Clark's   CI  scale goes from 1-11, 4 or higher is CI . Jayna is an 8.  We learned that CI is hereditary.  So Dr Clark also did one quick test on myself, Anthony and mom.  I am a 2, Anthony is a 6, mom a 7.  So technically according to this quickie test all three have CI.  But Jayna's testing is much more in depth, multiple tests done multiple ways etc.  So Mine, Mom's and Anthony's could have been a bad reading.  Dr Clark continued with saying Jayna should wear her glasses all day in the classroom, doing any type of reading or homework.  She said the prescription they gave Jayna is very similar to what she would have written.  We don't need to get her the new rx glasses, but when we get her a new pair we should use this rx.  The news got better.  Dr. Clark owns her own Vision Therapy Company.  She also works closely with UVA.   There is a brand new trial study about to begin for children with CI and she said Jayna is a perfect candidate.  This study was suppose to begin in June but got delayed to next month!  We are now working to get Jayna in it.  Dr Clark is over-seeing this study.  Not only is it free therapy and free visits with Dr Clark once a month, but we get some compensation and Jayna gets a free CI therapy video game.  It lasts 12 weeks after the initial eye testing (all of which Jayna had done, but will have re-done if (when) Jayna gets accepted into the study.  Had we gotten an appointment sooner, this wouldn't have been offered to us.  Had we not have gotten a wrong 2nd opinion we never would have met Dr Clark to begin with.  Had we not met Dr Clark we wouldn't have been alerted to Anthony's potential vision issue.  He now has an appointment scheduled for 9:30am next Friday with Dr Culp, the first Dr who diagnosed Jayna.  This could also have been the cause of Anthony's learning difficulties if he does in fact have it. Many people with it can learn to compensate in time for the CI if a lower level of it is present.  Mom's could be caused by the MS, as she said it was some what common.