The Best Medicine
I found myself on the physical therapist's table when I realized that I had, indeed, gotten myself in over my head. The clock read 9:10 a.m., and it was a Tuesday morning--one of my days off, if I could stand to call it that. On the days I didn't teach, I wrote, I ran errands, I cleaned...certainly not my idea of a true day off. But I wasn't required to stand in front of a room full of tired, bored, disrespectful students.
That Tuesday was no different. My agenda for the day could only be called overly full, and I wondered why I had kept the appointment. Why hadn't I moved it to Thursday? Who needed to see the physical therapist, the podiatrist, and the chiropractor in one day? To make it worse, I should have scheduled an appointment with the OB. Why not have my entire body probed, prodded, and manipulated within the span of a few short hours? Why not, indeed?
Book in hand, I settled against the table, waiting for the heat of the hot pad to spread across my hip and back. I hoped the warmth would force the stress and strain from my thoughts, thinking that the words of the story might help, too. That's when I heard a voice filter across the room.
"Yeah, I found Wanda's engagement ring at Walmart."
I didn't have to turn my head to know the voice belonged to one of the other therapists. His words intrigued me. What woman, in her right mind, wanted an engagement ring from Walmart? I knew my thoughts bordered on snobby, but I didn't care. I wasn't a fan of Walmart because of the way they treated their employees. I never claimed that I'm too good to shop there. Because I'm not. However, I'm not sure I'd want a diamond ring from the place. As you can imagine, I wanted to know more.
"Yep," the voice droned. "I found the ring there, but I was going to take the diamond out and have it set over at the local jewelers. Or that was the plan anyway."
So his plan had been derailed, and I wondered why. Had his girlfriend discovered the ring before he could get the diamond set? Had someone stolen the ring? Had he thought better of buying his girlfriend a diamond from Walmart? I tipped my head, moving my ear closer toward his voice, all thoughts of reading behind me.
"So I went to the jewelers, and they looked the diamond over. Great cut, great clarity, great color. But...it had a huge crack in it."
The men in the room erupted in laughter, and the women exhaled in relief. And me? I laughed and exhaled, and tucked his information into the back of my head, knowing that I'd write it down, possibly using it someday in a story. I heard an "Of course!" and a "Good lesson learned!" float by. I silently thanked the therapist for making me laugh and got back to reading my story. By the time Jess wandered over to see how my muscles were doing and start the actual therapy, I'd forgotten about all the items on my to-do list. I felt light, content, ready to begin my day.
I guess laughter really is the best medicine.
That Tuesday was no different. My agenda for the day could only be called overly full, and I wondered why I had kept the appointment. Why hadn't I moved it to Thursday? Who needed to see the physical therapist, the podiatrist, and the chiropractor in one day? To make it worse, I should have scheduled an appointment with the OB. Why not have my entire body probed, prodded, and manipulated within the span of a few short hours? Why not, indeed?
Book in hand, I settled against the table, waiting for the heat of the hot pad to spread across my hip and back. I hoped the warmth would force the stress and strain from my thoughts, thinking that the words of the story might help, too. That's when I heard a voice filter across the room.
"Yeah, I found Wanda's engagement ring at Walmart."
I didn't have to turn my head to know the voice belonged to one of the other therapists. His words intrigued me. What woman, in her right mind, wanted an engagement ring from Walmart? I knew my thoughts bordered on snobby, but I didn't care. I wasn't a fan of Walmart because of the way they treated their employees. I never claimed that I'm too good to shop there. Because I'm not. However, I'm not sure I'd want a diamond ring from the place. As you can imagine, I wanted to know more.
"Yep," the voice droned. "I found the ring there, but I was going to take the diamond out and have it set over at the local jewelers. Or that was the plan anyway."
So his plan had been derailed, and I wondered why. Had his girlfriend discovered the ring before he could get the diamond set? Had someone stolen the ring? Had he thought better of buying his girlfriend a diamond from Walmart? I tipped my head, moving my ear closer toward his voice, all thoughts of reading behind me.
"So I went to the jewelers, and they looked the diamond over. Great cut, great clarity, great color. But...it had a huge crack in it."
The men in the room erupted in laughter, and the women exhaled in relief. And me? I laughed and exhaled, and tucked his information into the back of my head, knowing that I'd write it down, possibly using it someday in a story. I heard an "Of course!" and a "Good lesson learned!" float by. I silently thanked the therapist for making me laugh and got back to reading my story. By the time Jess wandered over to see how my muscles were doing and start the actual therapy, I'd forgotten about all the items on my to-do list. I felt light, content, ready to begin my day.
I guess laughter really is the best medicine.
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