December 4, 2014. Ridgeland, MS. The Waiting Room

Hospitals are fascinating places. Just sitting in a waiting room yesterday gave me a slice of life, some of which was pleasant and some not. The waiting room was small, used only for folks waiting for procedure. Most patients also have a relative to drive them home. The wait was long as the doctors were well behind schedule. Most folks were not happy with the wait. In one corner of the room sat a young man in a wheel chair. He had multiple disabilities. Two women were with him. They did everything that they could to accommodate this youn man. He could not speak but he communicated by grunts. They talked to each other and they talked to him, always with affection. When he got upset with the wait, they explained the problem. It was as fine an example of how to handle a disabled person as I have ever seen. Clearly these two ladies loved that young man and he seemed to return their affection. In the other corner of the waiting room was an older lady in a wheel chair with her daughter sitting on a chair beside her. The daughter was on the phone. After 30 minutes of waiting, the old lady became cross. At first she was speaking quietly but when the daughter tried to tell her why they were waiting, the lady got upset with the hospital. Then she was upset with her daughter. With every sentence, her voice rose in pitch and volume. Both mother and daughter reverted to barnyard talk. The daughter did everything wrong and finally she walked out. The old lady walked back to the treatment area but the staff was not able to settle her down. Eventually, both mother and daughter left, with no procedure. Within a short period of time, I saw the best and worst of people. I had my own little soap opera, right in a waiting room of the hospital.