Your ability to juggle many tasks will take you far

Parking lots are my nemesis.  Unfortunately, there are precious few physicians who don’t have a parking structure attached to their office. Even when there is no fee to park in said parking lot, there are innumerable hazards lurking around every dark turn. Perhaps you think I exaggerate? Guess again oh un-initiated!  My automobiles have a catalog of parking lot related injuries almost as long as my list of illnesses.

I can almost see you out there – you are thinking “What does parking have to do with chronic illness? I thought she was going to be talking about how to cope, etc?”. Well friends, let me tell you, parking garages can have a much more profound impact on you than you might initially assume.  

It all starts with getting to the garage itself.  In Seattle, the location of my many and varied physicians, we have a mind-boggling collection of one-way streets.  To get to the garage for my endocrinologist, a driver must exit the freeway and within five seconds must immediately choose one of five different streets to turn onto. The streetlights are no help – it is almost impossible to tell which one is tied to which street.  If you are lucky enough to have chosen correctly, you must proceed down another few blocks knowing which block is the “magic block”. The so-called “magic block” is the only street you can turn onto and proceed far enough into the city center to then perform a series of right turns which will eventually lead you to the left side of a one way street garage entrance into a 100 year old building where the exit and entrance are the same location. Did I mention that entry\exit is on a 70 degree angle and wide enough for only one car? Assuming you have been clever enough to make all these turns and not run into anyone else, you must proceed into a garage where you leave your keys in your car and pray that a parking attendant is somewhere nearby. Otherwise, you simply have to trust that your car will not be stolen while you go looking for someone to give you a parking slip as you try to get one of the two perpetually pokey elevators to come all the way down to the basement of the building.  All this fun and excitement will only cost you the price of a half tank of gas and $10 per hour.  Fun! Does anyone wonder why my blood pressure is consistently elevated?

Of course, this scenario is one of the more extreme examples but imagine – I do this kind of parking garage dance-of-death four to eight times a week. Each office has a different challenge. Some are so poorly designed that they aren’t wide enough for cars to back out if an SUV is parked across the aisle.  Other garages don't have obstcles but cost per hour for parking is $20. Park on the street you say? I absolutely agree but that would require my being able to find a spot on the street and there is still the matter of that pesky boot cast that severely limits my mobility.  I’m also taking anti-anxiety medication. Does anyone see the contradictions here?   

In the coming days, I’m sure to talk about the challenges of medical insurance, the difficulties of drug coverage and other such topics but keep in mind – just getting to the appointment is really half the battle.