Life Insurance

by | May 12, 2011 | 0 comments

Yesterday a nurse came to my apartment to take a blood sample, weight me, measure me, copy down a bunch of stuff from my driver’s license.  She was a very sweet middle-aged woman named Elaine.  We’d spoken over the phone setting up the appointment and she seemed a bit frazzled but kind.

I debated about telling her why the appointment was emotional for me before she arrived.  But I knew I might break down.  Once she arrived and we headed into the kitchen, I found myself telling her.   She had short, curly hair, kind eyes, and was wearing a nurse’s uniform with little flowers on it. As it turns out, she hears sad stories like this all of the time in her profession.  Still, she was shocked and asked a lot of questions.  She told me that you never know because sometimes there could have been some reason why it had to be this way.  I give her credit for saying that to me.  She also said that I would find the strength.  Meanwhile Audrey got out her new doctor kit and quietly showed Elaine her instruments.

Elaine  has a fifteen year old daughter and looked me right in the eye and said sarcastically, “it’s fun…”  She assured me Audrey would be my savior and “your shopping buddy.”

I let Audrey watch as Elaine took my blood and my blood pressure.  Audrey stood beside me and got out her own blood pressure gauge.

The visit was over in fifteen minutes and was surprisingly pleasant.   Elaine told me I looked like I was in my 20’s and that Audrey was a “little Einstein” and should be tested and receive a full scholarship to a nearby private school.  She was extremely enthusiastic about this part, and at one point, told me I should “drown her” in different kinds of stimulation, etc.  As soon as she said “drown her,” she stopped, put her head in her hands and turned red, apologizing.  I laughed quite a bit and told her that I now had a very dark sense of humor and it was quite alright.  

JAC

May 12, 2011

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like…

List-making in a Dark Time

List-making in a Dark Time

For any other list-makers out there, I published this on HerStories yesterday.""In this time of quarantine, my lists are offering me space outside of the walls of my home, a way of making sense of chaos, a self-imposed structure on structure-less days, and even a way...

Simple Things

Simple Things

"In our deepest self we keep living with the illusion that we will always be the same." Henri Nowen "It's really very simple," my late spiritual director, Gladys, once said to me. She was talking about how she lived each day, waking up, having a written conversation...

Continuous Living

Continuous Living

"Anxiety turns us toward courage, because the other alternative is despair." Paul Tillich I've claimed "seasonal affective disorder" for years, and that may be so, but I'm starting to realize it's not only summer to fall that is hard for me. It's winter to spring, and...