Hi. I’m Kate. Turn ons include IV drips, PETscans, and organic fig newtons. Turn offs include whining, hospital gowns, and artificial sugar.
Let’s see how much life I can squeeze in between work, chemo, sleep, and scans.
The Receptionist
I was sitting at a stoplight and she walked right in front of my bumper. She looked tired and drained, relieved that Monday was finally over. I tried to envision her job and pictured her as a receptionist (I was a receptionist for about three months and hated every minute of it). I thought about her sitting at her desk for eight hours, transferring calls, pointing people to the bathroom, and signing for packages. I wondered if she liked her job or if she too had nightmares of ringing telephones.
I’ve never claimed to be a very observant person, and it took some time before I realized I was sitting by the entrance to the National Institutes of Health. Perhaps this woman was a receptionist for NIH, the powerhouse of cancer research.
Was this woman the receptionist who pleasantly answered the phone when I called looking for nutritional information? Or was she the person who snapped at me when I was inquiring about the labyrinth in their Clinical Research Center (very cool…check it out)?
I wondered if the receptionist understood how important she is to me. For that matter, do any of the NIH workers know how much influence they have on my life? Do they understand that when they take a sick day to play golf, my life is potentially shortened by a day? My survival is dependent upon their work ethic and I just hope they don’t procrastinate as much as I do.
She may think she’s just a receptionist, but she’s not. She’s the voice of help and hope…and I think I now I understand why she looks so tired.
This is a terrific reminder that everyone we encounter in life has a story as meaningful to them as ours are to us, and that there is a locus of points that we all likely share, even if its definition is obscured.
Another great post, Kate.
I saw you today at the TeamHOPE walk. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was wondering what the “Kate’s Ugly Shoes” t-shirts were all about and then, while waiting in line behind you, I heard someone say your name. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but later when I got home, I checked out the team page because for whatever reason, I had to know about the shoes. And so that’s how I came to your blog.
I find your blogs touching and witty and I wish I had read them earlier because I would have said hello today.
Jennifer
yeti_wife at yahoo dot com
Kate - Hope all went well at the walk!
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