Is it a Full Moon?

Friday and Saturday were both days coming up to a full moon, which I usually do not pay much attention to. I love looking at the stars and the moon on a clear, crisp evening, but the constellations and the lunar cycle are not something that I know well. However, I have a great friend, Nina, who is an expert in all things star-related. We have spent some fabulous evenings at high school band camp (our kids were in the high school marching band together) gazing at stars over the band field. She taught me all that I know about the planets and stars - as much as I remember. 

During a full moon cycle, it is said that people become more agitated, and there have been some studies that support the premise. Working with the public in the veterinary medical field makes many of us believers.  

Yesterday was a “full-moon Saturday.” We were scheduled to work a half-day — nine until one. My manager decided that it might be fun to have a potluck breakfast; actually, I think it was one of the technician’s ideas that our manager facilitated. We got to work a bit early, and we each brought in a different breakfast food item to share. The table was piled with fruit, bagels with cream cheese, egg McMuffins, sausage burritos, quiche, donuts, coffee, and even non-alcohol mimosas. There was enough food to feed an army and all of us for breakfast and lunch, with leftovers to take home. 

The idea behind having a breakfast potluck was to help the team feel like a team and also appreciated and loved. Something about food makes us all feel a bit better, much to the detriment of our physical health, but a once-in-a-while indulgence is acceptable as long as we work it off. On this full moon Saturday, we did work it off. 

Whether it was the full moon or just because it is life, we had our fill of unpleasant and unreasonable clients on this day.

One gentleman argued with everyone as soon as he called in on the phone from the parking lot. I overheard the phone technician’s voice becoming more and more tense as she attempted to understand what his complaint was. He did not think he should have to wait his turn in the parking lot and demanded to be seen immediately. He also wanted to go home and wait while his dog got full mouth radiographs - she had two loose teeth —and a growth removal immediately. Oh, by the way, he was scheduled to have those things addressed back in June, and he canceled the scheduled surgery appointment. Once he was in the exam room with me, he repeated his requests, and also said, “Can you replace the loose teeth with gold teeth?” Nope! We cannot do that today, not ever. He remained pretty calm for the rest of our encounter but continued to rave about the need for dental rads and gold teeth for his dog. 

Another client was exasperated the minute she got into the exam room with me. Her puppy was in for routine vaccines, but she insisted on coming into the building with him. We were 20 minutes behind schedule getting her inside, and she told me exactly what the problem was with our program. She explained to me that she had waited for 30 minutes in the parking lot, and now her dog was overheated, and it was our fault. I kindly explained to her puppy looked fine, but she could now wait a bit longer in the air-conditioned exam room so her puppy could get some water and “cool down.” No problem, I am happy to help with that.

Working during a full moon and partially curb-side is frustrating, challenging, or entertaining, depending on how you choose to see it. I try to think of life as being neither good nor bad, but just what it is, life. We also need to try to keep our humor and empathy. Of course, people don’t want to wait in the hot parking lot. Of course, they think they are the only priority. When we look for humor in encounters, it helps direct our minds to the positives. It is all about attitude and protecting yourself from going down with them.

Keeping a positive attitude with unkind people takes mental work, but we join them in their negative emotions if we allow them to upset us. We will not allow them to change us into unkind people. We have many happy clients and a few impatient ones, and the difference is how we think of them and their antics. If we know that a few people get a bit ugly each day and expect it, we can choose to roll with it when it happens.

My manager said to me when the “gold teeth guy” left the building, “You have to laugh, don’t you? Is it a full moon? People are a little over the top today.” 

Good thing she planned our colossal breakfast.

Dr. Julie Cappel 

“Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien