Nothing political today

I'm not going to be political today.

I want to write about 'waiting'.

(Well, I am waiting for the election...cut that out, Jim!)

Every other Tuesday I go to Waterbury Hospital to get two shots of Zolair. I've probably mentioned it before since it has kept me asthma free for over 4 years.

When I go to the hospital, I park in the valet spots. The valets used to park my car before the pandemic, but I park it now, in one of their spots. There's always one of the valets there just to watch to upper parking lot. I still tip them though they don't park my car these days.

Then I go in and after an attendant takes my temperature, I go to 'registration' to get an wrist band and paperwork. Usually that takes--tops--10 minutes.

Today it took over an hour. When I finally got to Outpatient Therapies for my shots, the nurse told me the hold-up in registration is because most people, even those who maybe should be admitted to the hospital are being treated as 'outpatients'. "You have to be half-dead to get admitted these days because of Covid."

Jarring.

I actually got registered sooner than I would have been because I asked the woman at the desk to call Outpatient Therapies and tell them why I was so late. She did, but told me to wait and registered me there instead of having to wait for one of the 4 registrars.

In that hour, I saw a lot of anger.

People don't like to wait, especially in a hospital.

Complaints, accusations, demands abounded.

The staff handled it all with grace and calm.

I always have a book, no matter where I'm going. Today I'm reading Jame Patterson's Double Cross.

So, waiting for me is simply reading time.

I notice that cell phones calm waiting crowds as well--but in a hospital those are limited.

Often, waiting can make us anxious and angry.

But it can teach us somethings as well.

'Lord, teach me patience so I can wait on your will...."