I’ve had a private practice since 2003. I am used to having a fair number of phone calls to make about scheduling appointments. Right now, the number of voice mails I have received has been reduced substantially. This is because on my voice mail greeting, I let people know that I will not be able to schedule any new patients until the fall of 2012. So, the phone calls are much more manageable and it saves me from having to explain my situation to people who would rather see if they can find someone with more immediate openings.

However, the former popularity of my office phone has transferred to my cell phone. Now I am inundated with calls for appointments for me with the physicians at Swedish Cancer Institute, test results, etc.

In this disruptive time, it is oddly comforting to identify some pattern of equilibrium in my life, even if it’s silly.