Life is something I know I take for granted. Life could be taken from me or someone I love any minute of any day. But I don't think of that very often.
Today at work I was going through my routine. I went out to the waiting room to get the next patient, we'll call him Jim. A little background; I've know Jim for about a year and a half (the amount of time I've been working there). I see him every two months when he comes into our office. I know little about his personal life, but I do know some. I know his wife and how many kids he has... I'm sure I've talked to him about books he reads, holiday traditions, weather etc more than I can remember. What I know most about him is how he is always smiling, happy, polite, and interested in me. Very few patients are this way. They just assume, that this is my job, and that's as deep as our relationship goes. Don't get me wrong, this is ok and probably how it should be... but you know it is nice to connect with some people on a personal level sometimes. I think everyone knows what I mean. So anyway... I'm babbling.
Jim is one of those who always asks questions about me. .... so today I took him back to a exam room and proceeded to "get him ready" for the doctor to come in. I said, "Jim, how are you doing?!"" "well, I've been better" he uncharacteristically replied. Kind of taken back I inquired a little more. He proceeded to tell me that 1 week earlier he had been diagnosed with a certain type of cancer which was untreatable... and the Doctor had said he had less than a year to live.
Bam!!!!!!! I wasn't expecting that, and I didn't know what to say. Trying to hold the tears back I eventually responded by asking more details about the kind of cancer he had, just unimportant things like that. What was I supplest to say. This is a "real" person to me, someone I "know" and love... not just someone I hear about who is dying.
And the day went on... the same menial tasks I do every day. Answering phones, taking x-rays, helping patients... stuff like that. But Jim stayed in my mind.
Life is precious, life is short, life is good. Why do I waste time wishing for what I don't have.
Carpe Diem.
