I found a terrific writing site (thanks to my friend Sugana) — The Daily Post: Daily Prompts provides a NEW daily prompt every day to give every writer a way to put a spark in her/his creativity. I decided to join this group every so often...
Today's Prompt is RELIEVED
As we get to that “certain age” and the doctor writes out a
bunch of scrips for scans, lab tests, diagnostics, and more, we just can’t seem
to avoid a growing dread in the pit of our stomachs. Absolutely NOTHING was
wrong before! Why am I being subjected to all of this poking and prodding? And
what about my dignity when each part of my body is being examined by a
different group of people… okay, okay, I know they are professionals, and my
common sense does tell me that playing it safe is a heck of a lot better than
dealing with some catastrophic illness. But still —
So we act rationally and make our appointments and scheduling
isn’t always the easiest, after shifting schedules and arranging for someone to
pick us up afterwards (when required) and throwing someone else’s day into
disarray we bravely march right up to the reception desk and fill out a myriad
of forms with the most minute details… details that would normally fall into
the category of TMI. Then you are given a gown that is guaranteed to let in too
much of a breeze “somewhere”.
Finally we are in the exam room, hooked up to all kinds of
monitors and feeling a bit like a character in some futuristic sci-fi show. The
doctor, technician or PA does what they have to do and you are done. Get
dressed again and go wait in the next room for someone to come in and discuss preliminary
findings, if you are lucky; with some test you’ll have to wait three, ten or
fourteen days until you get a phone call from a nurse reading the results to
you and telling you the doctor’s next recommendation.
Whew! You get a clean bill of health and this tremendous
feeling of relief settles over you. You’re told what they’ll send you a
reminder when you have to do it all over again. Until then though, you are
celebrating. I’m fine, I’m alive, and things are good. As you wipe your brow
feeling so relieved you know that this was the smart thing to do for YOU and
for the folks who love and depend on you. And IF, G-d forbid, your results aren’t
the most pristine, you’ve probably found out while there is still time to make
adjustments. Yeah, definitely smart.
My wish for
all of you is Always Great Results
and lots of reasons to feel relieved.
