What Makes Me Happy or Smile

Originally Published Dec. 2012 

Saturday was not a good day to write out what makes me happy or what makes me smile.  I was in a crabby mood.  I didn’t feel good.  My allergies were kicking up big time.  My eyes watered, I sneezed continuously, and I had (and still have) a gut-wrenching cough that won’t stop.  

So, knowing that I was having 11 people over for Easter dinner the next day, I decided to go to the doctor.  Being a Saturday, I knew I was really going to have to pay big time to go to Urgent Care; but, I didn’t care.  Coughing every 10 minutes can place a huge drain on one’s strength.  And I still had to clean the house, get last-minute groceries, and make the dessert.  Believe me, I was not happy – or smiling.

I, of course, had already diagnosed myself as having pneumonia – or at the very least, bronchitis.  And, that’s what I told the doctor as she examined me.  Even though I was wrong in my diagnosis, she gave me $65 worth of medicine that included, cough syrup with codine, an antibiotic, Claritin, and an inhaler.  She assured me that I was NOT contagious – which was too bad because I truly wanted to be contagious so I wouldn’t have to tackle the house and the meal and pretend I was happy and all smiling the next day with my guests!  All I wanted to do was sleep!

Norm helped me as much as he could – but after 46 years of marriage, he knows not to touch my china!  I know exactly how I want my table set and what food item is placed in what bowl, what color tulips to use, and whether or not Johan is old enough to sit at the “big people’s table.”  So, to make sure we’d have 47 years to celebrate next year, he stayed out of my way and cleaned the bathroom instead.

By the time I got the table set, I was really coughing up a storm and therefore, decided to take all my medicine.  I saved the inhaler for last because this allergy business is new to me and I’ve never had to use an inhaler before.  I took it out of the box and decided to read the instructions one more time before using it.  Lo and behold – as I read the label on the canister, I noticed that the name on the prescription label was for a Joseph Lundeen!  I checked the box the inhaler came in and the prescription on the outside of the box was indeed made out to Mary McGraw.  So, I evidently received someone else’s inhaler!

I immediately called the clinic’s pharmacy listed on the prescription label.  Since it had a (763) area code, I presumed it would be answered by my clinic’s pharmacy.  But….. NO!  It went directly to the main pharmacy and as I sat and waited for the message to finally tell me what I should do to talk to someone in Andover, I noticed  that I had been on the phone for almost 5 minutes!  Finally, the message said that I should press 4-9 to get the Andover pharmacy.  So, I pressed 4-9 and received another message that told me that it was very excited to serve me; but, first…. I had to know that their hours of operation were 8-5 on Monday through Friday and 9-1 on Saturday.  The time was now 12:50.  Pressing 4-9 got me to another message that said that they were closed now and I’d have to leave a message and they would call me back the next business day – which, of course, would be Monday.  The robot messenger told me I could leave a message.  And, boy did I leave a message!  I told them that they had a crappy phone system – that if they are supposed to be open until 1:00, then they damn well better stay open until 1:00 and that while I was waiting for my prescriptions that morning, I overheard the pharmacist say “I’m sorry” and “I apologize” at least six times to two different customers ahead of me.  And, I was just the third in probably a long line of dissatisfied customers they had “served” today.  I needed to know if I should even be using Joseph’s medicine – was it expired?  Who got my prescription?  And all sorts of other language I won’t repeat here today.  I ended with the following statement:   “I EXPECT someone to call me back TODAY.  And, by the way, I happen to have worked for the PRESIDENT of this healthcare organization for ten years and I better hear from someone or he will be getting a call from me!”

Within 20 minutes, the pharmacist who waited on me called me back.  I heard at least six “I’m sorries” or “I apologizes” from him.  He assured me that my dosage was the same as Joseph’s and that I could use it.  He also said that he would have to file a report with the state pharmacy unit.  Well…. Duh!  I told him that it was a good thing he called because I was just then composing my email to my old boss; but, I would hold off on sending it if I get a satisfactory conclusion to my complaint.

So, what does this have to do with what makes me happy or makes me smile?  Nothing.  I just wanted to get this off my chest and writing things down is one way of helping me work through my problems.  So, thank you for listening.

I do want to end with the answer to today’s topic, however.  What makes me smile and laugh is watching the innocent children at play.  They have no worries.  They jump into puddles or roll down hills and laugh and squeel and sing and love.  Our little 4 year old grandson, Johan, was getting a little bored yesterday while the adults talked on and on around the table.  So, I suggested that he play the piano for us.  He said, “Sure…. what would you like to hear?” 

And, at the end of the day, after the first load of dishes was being washed, everyone had gone home, and Norm was driving my aunt and uncle back to their home, I relaxed on the couch with my laptop and opened up my emails.  I had received one from one of my nephews (Eric) and he attached a couple of pictures of his little girl, Samantha, who is eight months’ old.  The look on her face as she hugged her little Easter bunny just made me smile.  She was so happy.  So thrilled with her bunny.  So cute. 

You know, life has it’s “up’s and down’s” and so it’s good when one can take a few minutes to laugh and smile.  And, as soon as I stop coughing, I plan on doing just that.