Listening

Being back in the US over the last week has reminded me of a few things I don't miss about this country. Compared to Grenada (and I am well aware that I'm not comparing apples to apples here), there is so much sadness and tragedy. It is common place to turn on the news and spend the show learning about murders, stabbings, and violence, transportation accidents are frequent, and emergency vehicles are present in abundance. I know this is all just part of our society, but it still makes me sad. I passed a couple of serious accidents today - it breaks my heart to know that their families are probably hurting tonight. When I pass a fire truck or ambulance, it saddens me to know that someone is on the other end of those vehicles and in distress. Am I grateful that we have those services? Absolutely! We certainly do not have them so accessible in Grenada meaning that urgent care and services are delayed when they are needed most.

I found myself cornered today in a public restroom. An innocent comment by a woman about how dark the facilities were turned into hearing about the tragedies and difficulties in her life currently. A family member was just diagnosed with a large tumor after suffering through painful episodes over most of the last year and a half and is currently kind of in limbo as her doctors figure out the next plan of action and her husband has had 2 bouts of cancer (different types) in the last several years. I don't think she intentionally began blabbing to a stranger, but I imagine that having someone to sympathetically listen to her troubles just kept her going and going. I didn't mind. I know it helped her. She has a lot of emotion built up in her life, and as humans, we have a social need to share our burdens and joys. As she was explaining her life away, I smiled thinking that as a future veterinarian, this will certainly not be the last time someone borrows my ears and smile to help themselves to feel better. We might officially only have degrees in veterinary medicine, but your veterinarian plays multiple roles, one of which is that of a psychologist. It's something you accept by choosing this field, but perhaps if as members of society we decided to adopt a little more patience and caring for those around us (in the car, at the store, waiting at a checkout counter, entering/exiting a building, etc.) we might find ourselves feeling a little less burdened.

Just a thought, but try to remember your smile, your patience, and your manners as we proceed through a very hectic time of year. Hold the door for someone, let someone merge into your lane in traffic, offer a helping hand to someone who needs it (heck, even if it's just to help pick the cans of soup someone knocked over!). You just might find yourself feeling better about your life and who you are. I try very hard to think of people as individuals and not just as a generic mass - everyone deserves proper treatment, but it only works if we participate ourselves!