Yesterday.... Sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for Sam to have an MRI on his back, I found myself in a nearly empty waiting room. There were five other people and about fifty empty chairs, but as is often the case in life, things didn't unfold as simply as I had hoped.
In walked a woman, (70 ish) and out of all the chairs she could have chosen, she sat in the one chair right next to me. Not a chair away, Right beside me! It wasn't as if the waiting room wasn't almost deserted.
I have to laugh, because as I was trying to process this peculiar seating choice, the unmistakable sound of gum smacking filled my right ear. Then there was a loud pop of her gum! How about you all? Does gum smacking bother you?
I couldn't help but wonder, with so many open seats, why choose the one closest to ME? When going to the doctor, I never want to sit close to people. What I think about is, are they just there for a checkup, or do they have an illness that I don't want to be exposed to. Thankfully, the nurse quickly called her back.
(here I am laughing again)...I kid you not, that seat was not even cold yet when in came another woman. I saw her when she walked by because what she was wearing caught my eye. It was a Bright Red top with Big, brightly colored dots. I mean, this was a pretty stand out shirt. I would say this lady too was in her early 70's.
She walked by me, and then turned around and came back to the (not yet cold) chair, and sat down right next to me. This one wasn't chewing gum, but instead fixed her gaze on me as if she were studying me. I could feel her eyes boring into me, and then I finally looked up. As soon as I did, she began an instant conversation by asking me where I got my shoes. I know that her inquiry was innocent enough, nonetheless it added to my discomfort.
Truthfully, each of these interactions felt invasive in its own small way, as I had planned to peacefully sit there and read blog post.
It's funny how the little things--smacking gum, unsolicited questions--can become such irritants. I hope I am not guilty of interrupting others peaceful moments.
This waiting room experience serves as a reminder that the small things people do, often without realizing it, can have an outsized impact. As I continued to sit there, waiting on Sam to emerge from the MRI, I couldn't help but wonder how many of us are unknowingly testing each other's patience in the most mundane of settings..
Geez.... am I running out of topics to blog about? Or, am I just telling you about my yesterday's experience?
I did enjoy watching the fish in my doctor's beautiful fish tank.
We woke up to MUCH cooler temps here this morning. So very Nice!! 41 degrees!! I'm loving these crisp mornings.
Thankful Thursday......I'm breathing, I'm alive, I'm Blessed. God is so Good!
Shug....💛