No matter where I go, someone tells me more information than I need or want to know. I tend to be a very intuitive person, but sometimes I wonder if I have ‘Tell me all your problems,’ written across my forehead. Once I make eye contact, the verbal diarrhea begins.
The other day I had a doctor’s appointment. This particular doctor sees patients at the hospital. I registered and filled out the paperwork and found myself in a waiting room. I had already sized up the other people in the waiting room and knew that the one lady seemed quite chatty. A pleasant hello or goodbye is fine by me. If people do not speak, it can sometimes be interpreted as rude.
I tried to not make eye contact with the chatty lady, thinking maybe I could avoid hearing about her ailments, both new & old. A nurse came to the door and paused. I knew I was not next, but with any luck, the chatty lady would get called in. Another lady got up and followed the nurse to her room. Now it was my Mom & I and ‘Chatty Cathy’.
Sure enough the lady looked at my Mom & I and started to unload her medical issues. She talked about herself and how another hospital screwed up her health. I wanted to say, ‘You’re a big girl, suck it up and take responsibility for your life,’ but instead I smiled and nodded my head.
I think because I use a wheelchair, some people assume that I would be sympathetic to their own medical issues. Other people take the opposite approach and ask me why I use a wheelchair. First, I don’t want to hear your problems. Second, I just want to be treated as if the chair were not there.
When will people learn that just because I like psychology, it doesn’t mean I want to use my skills all the time? It is called therapy and it does work, but only if you go and listen to what the doctor says.
No comments:
Post a Comment