It was 7 in the morning as I pulled up to our closed office. In the parking lot sat an SUV idling with it’s lights on. It was still dark at 7 and it was still cold. I walked up to the vehicle, and the drivers window lowered as I was met with a smile.
“Good morning,” the patient said. He handed me his hearing aid and described the problems he was experiencing. He had sanitized the device, and put it in a sealed plastic bag for me. As he handed it over at arms length, I took it at arms length and made sure he had the bag marked with his name and phone number so that I could keep things organized.
I thanked him for his understanding and his help in making these meet-ups happen. This was the second time that we were handing off in the early morning dark. It wasn’t a scheduled appointment in an office with his doctor. It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t full off office lighting. It wasn’t normal, but it was friendly.
It was pleasant.
“The world isn’t normal right now,” he said, “and we all need to step out of our comfort zones. You are good enough to pick up my hearing aid, and I need to be good enough to be here and give it to you. I have to admit though, I am really enjoying these parking lot conversations with you.”
Sometimes the world surprises me. Those times when the media is trying to tell me what I should think, and politics are the main ingredient to the latest news story of tragedy, and from out of nowhere one can find hope and kindness.
In those dark mornings I found a friend. I found friend who needed his hearing aid fixed, and I said, “Yes. That is important to us too.”
During these uncertain times, a pleasant conversation can make a world of difference for us all. I’m so glad we can work thru new ways to still be able to safely reach our patients.
You warm my heart Marie
🙂
So true Mary a nice conversation goes a long way!
I really enjoyed this Dale. Those new connections with others, as you made with this patients, is a great story of true relationships.
Rich
There is still good out there!