Waiting...

I have just been to two different doctor offices. One for my step-father and then myself. Grrr. The waiting is mind numbing at best, infuriating at worst. Waiting at my stepfather's appointment was terrible. The office was packed. The staff was stretched. AND, there were two of those people. You know the ones. Their time is worth more than yours. THEY have somewhere else to be. They threw at least three different hissy fits. When they finally threatened to leave the last time, the staff took them immediately back to a room. The infuriating thing is this-they were a work in and they were seen before us. Now, I can't really blame the staff. It was a woman and her daughter and they were awful. I was actually glad to see them go away to their own private gripe fest. BUT, it is almost like giving in to the fit of a toddler to let them go ahead of us-people with an appointment that had been waiting for almost an hour.

The clencher was this, I was now going to be late for my afternoon DR appt. I had to do some serious praying, tongue biting and loving of my neighbors. When we were finally called back, I politely asked to use the phone (My cell phone was VERY low on battery making a bad situation worse.) and attempted to cancel and reschedule my appointment. No can do, they were at lunch. Grrr. I took a deep breath and trusted God to stretch my time. I just made up my mind not to look at any more clocks, be as quick as possible and forge ahead. I did not want to be like the gripers. In fact, it was kind of a blessing in a way that they were there. The rest of us were very uncomfortable with their behavior. It was sort of a reminder that docs and their staff are people too. Even if they have a bad day, you don't get permission to be rude. This is not typical at that office-believe me, I go there three times a year and seldom wait very long. If we always waited, I would have to decide-Worth the wait? OR Get a new doctor. NOT Chew up the staff and spit them out.

I got Pete back home, picked up my girls and arrived for my appointment 2 minutes late-a time miracle. I think it was my reward for making the decision NOT to be rude. It also reminded me how hard it is to love others sometimes. It reminded me that sometimes my attitude really needs adjusting. But mostly?? It reminded me to NEVER schedule two Dr. appointments on the same day.