I had this little three year old patient this morning. Her mom was young-ish, mid-twenties probably, very nice, and obviously smart. The little girl was wound up like a cheap watch (to use a cliche that makes no sense anymore since no one winds their watch even if they wear one) out in the waiting room. "Mommy! Look at this! Mommy! What's that? Mommymommymommy!" But she was apparently very shy with strangers and she would not say one word to me. Clammed up totally. Well, it took forEVER to test her. I had to try every trick in my considerable book to get her to do what I needed her to do, but eventually we had success. I was pleased, mom was pleased.
When they were getting to leave, I got her some Barbie stickers for being a good girl, because I'm about nothing but enforcing sex role stereotypes, don't you know. In keeping with her determination to not speak one word directly to me, she would not say "thank you" even after her mother attempted to get her to about five times. No offense taken. I was an extremely shy child myself. Her mom thanked me profusely and off they went.
Because I had just spent twice as long on that as I had expected to, I was now running very late for lunch. And, in case you weren't aware, I'm on a diet and I need my meager sad little meals at their proper time, thankyouverymuch. So I cleaned up as quickly as I could and ran over to the cafeteria. After procuring my sad little scoop of chicken salad*** on a plate with some pathetic tomatoes and pickle slices, no bread, I returned to my office to see a big piece of paper on my stretcher. A note.
Andrea,
We came back so [child's name] could properly thank you. Thank you again for your patience & time.
--[mom and child]
Is that the fucking sweetest thing ever? Just when you start to think everyone in the world is a self-centered, obtuse, rude, entitled asshole with no sense of graciousness, you find proof that not only do considerate and polite people still exist, some of them are trying their hardest to teach these qualities to their children. It warms a person's cold, black, cranky heart, it does. I'm saving the note.
xoxo
***Yes, yes, I know, no one is forcing me to be on a diet so I should stop whining about it. But I hate this. I like food. You know that motto "nothing tastes as good as thin feels"? It's a fucking lie.
2 comments:
Speaking for myself, I could live for a long time on notes like that. There a couple of such gestures from the remote past that I dredge up and hug at low moments. Treasure this one.
Those notes and hugs and such from patients used to keep me going when I was a nurse. I recall one girl, maybe 9 or 10 who had a broken arm or leg, cant remember, anyways, she reminded me of me when I was a kid,kinda looked like me. We had a good time and I helped her feel comfy with the whole xrays and casting and all that scary stuff. She drew me a picture of Bugs Bunny and thanked me for fixing her leg or arm. I kept that on my fridge for years.
:-)
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