As my son left for Disney this past week, I was thinking about the “It’s a Small World” ride at the Magic Kingdom. You must have been on it. You get on a little boat that goes 2 miles an hour through various lands of dolls dressed in garb from all different cultures and you hear that song, over and over and over again until the ride ends. Then the song is stuck in your head…
Thinking about it’s a small world, I went to my doctor’s office for a follow up visit post surgery. As I was waiting in the office, I noticed an old man screaming at the receptionist.
“Why didn’t someone tell me how to get here,” he said.
“What do you mean?” the receptionist answered. “We all live in Long Beach. Couldn’t you figure it out?”
And with that comment, the man became furious. “I want to talk with the office manager! You’re not a nice person and you don’t know what you’re talking about!” he screamed.
“If I didn’t know how to get to staples in Oceanside, I would call the store and ask. Why didn’t you do that?” she responded. (I thought that was a good response!)
“You should have told me when I booked the appointment,” he said and he sat down next to me.
“Could you believe that woman?” he said to me.
“Alan? Is that you?” I asked. I realized I knew the guy. He is a member of my synagogue and a very nice man. He recently lost his wife to cancer and it turns out I went to school with his daughter Lori and his older daughter, Karen was my flute teacher.
“Hilary? I didn’t recognize you because you weren’t wearing a suit!” he said.
“Well, sometimes I choose not to wear one,” I said and laughed a little.
He went on to tell me that he was so unhappy being alone. I sat and I listened. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was waiting for the doctor. But as I was listening, I was feeling like I heard this before. It’s so sad when you’ve been with someone for 50 plus years and then it’s over and you need to start a new life. It’s amazing how we take advantage of the ones we love and think that they’ll be there forever. Wow, I was really feeling sad…
Then I saw the doctor. Okay, the prognosis — I’m off my feet for a while and I won’t be able to drive for at least five weeks and will have to wear this brace and use crutches for a while…
Leaving the doctors office, I saw another familiar face from the temple. Toby Gordon ran over to me. “Oh, No, what happened?” (Oye, how embarrassing!)
So, now the whole town knows that I had knee surgery. I guess now with this blog, the world knows, because, it is a small world after all!
