I was looking back through some of my old blog posts today trying to see which ones had been viewed the most. This is the first of a series of posts I called Stories from the Waiting Room. They were among the most popular posts at that time. I thought I would re-post the series over the next couple of days since I seem to have acquired a serious condition called Writer's Block on both my book and my blog posts. All should resume as normal as soon as I get rid of some stress in my life right now.
Love ..... In Unexpected Places
The Gastroenterology waiting room was full ..... full of wives, daughters and granddaughters brought along as chauffeurs to drive the husbands, fathers and grandfathers who after having been cleansed and purged were in the clinical rooms having the dreaded colonoscopy procedure performed. There was a camaraderie amongst these women, especially the wives. We all had something in common. We had sacrificed and shared a small part of our husbands to go out and protect and fight for all Americans. There was an undercurrent feeling of pride, love and respect for our veterans that trickled down to the children and grown grandchildren in the room. We were in a good place - a place that now takes care of the men and women who have taken care of the rest of us.
A little over a year ago, I wrote a post about conversations in waiting rooms that you can see at this link. Until that time, I had been somewhat of a waiting room snob, wanting my privacy so I could write notes or read a magazine and be in my own little world. That waiting room experience changed all that. Now I take my magazines and notebooks along, but I only use them as conversation starters. I discovered that you can't write about life if you're not giving yourself the opportunity to experience the complexities of other people's lives. My life stories are boring so it's hard to pull imaginative writing out of thin air and make it interesting, but conversations with total strangers can send my fingers flying over my keyboard with enthusiasm and creativity. My book gets a boost of energy instead of laying flat and stale in a drawer beside my bed.
Tomorrow, I'll share tidbits from the "chauffeurs" - the women who were waiting to take home their veterans. I loved their stories.
A little over a year ago, I wrote a post about conversations in waiting rooms that you can see at this link. Until that time, I had been somewhat of a waiting room snob, wanting my privacy so I could write notes or read a magazine and be in my own little world. That waiting room experience changed all that. Now I take my magazines and notebooks along, but I only use them as conversation starters. I discovered that you can't write about life if you're not giving yourself the opportunity to experience the complexities of other people's lives. My life stories are boring so it's hard to pull imaginative writing out of thin air and make it interesting, but conversations with total strangers can send my fingers flying over my keyboard with enthusiasm and creativity. My book gets a boost of energy instead of laying flat and stale in a drawer beside my bed.
Tomorrow, I'll share tidbits from the "chauffeurs" - the women who were waiting to take home their veterans. I loved their stories.
Great job, Glenda! Love reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you Phyllis!
DeleteI've overheard some very interesting conversations in waiting rooms - but never involved myself ... something of the great British reserve?
ReplyDeleteI've always just sat back and listened - only recently involving myself. It's amazing what people reveal about themselves to complete strangers in waiting rooms.
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