Early Fall 2012 -- See the Beauty in Front of Us
Dear Friends
With all the efficiency and speed technology now affords us, I've become jaded and expect things to run smoothly, and when they don't, I'm happy to complain. There. I said it. I'm happy to complain. But I'm not one bit happy about admitting this because I don't consider myself a serial complainer at all and am basically a glass-half-full person. But the day I went in for a follow-up to a suspicious mammogram turned out to be not one of my better days, attitude-wise. It was a challenge to keep my chin up and be at least somewhat gracious to the receptionist who took my insurance card and directed me down the long hall to a scary unknown. As I progressed through each phase of the exam, I was asked if there was any breast cancer in my family. 'Yes. My mom. At exactly the age I am now,' I answered 3 different times. Not a peak morning, to say the least. Still, the personnel were incredibly
reassuring, caring, and on the ball. They virtually lit up the exam rooms.
At the end of my appointment I was given a clean bill of breast health, which was a gigantic relief, of course, and topped off what had turned out to be truly uplifting experience, believe it or not. As I started to leave the building, I passed the Information desk, and it occurred to me that they might have some kind of evaluation/feedback form for writing my compliments to the staff. 'Naw, I have to get going!' I said to myself as I kept on walking. But something stopped me. I went back and asked for a form, which the gentleman had to dig deep into the bowels of the desk to find (obviously, not a form in much demand). It felt good to fill it out. Not just because the staff would hopefully be commended, but also because I'd just chosen to appreciate a morning that I very well could have chosen to whine about, instead.
Sometimes it seems that many of us are just itching for something to complain about, and that 'something' is almost always there when we have such an attitude. It's as if these 'kneejerk complaints' are second nature now, maybe because we've come to expect things to be perfect. This holiday season, my hope for all of us is that we be slower to grumble and quicker to find the beauty that so often is right in front of us.
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