Certainly Not Me

So, this morning I woke up to a throbbing headache and a sore throat. I promptly rolled back over and fell asleep, only to wake up a few hours later feeling a slightly worse version of both symptoms. It's not often that I get the flu or a true cold, so I decided to hoof it over to the after-care clinic and see if I could get something to ease my ailments.

Let me tell you something about the after-care clinic. Without exception, it's the loudest damn place on earth. It doesn't matter where the clinic is located either. It could be in the middle of Orange County or on the outskirts of Mexico City. It still sounds like the middle of a flea market, regardless.

I sign in, flash my insurance card and take a seat away from where the general crowd is sitting in the waiting room. There's a mounted TV currently set to ESPN, in a waiting room full of old women and little kids. How appropriate. Not only is the TV on, but it's set to the loudest possible decibel. Nothing like a little Sports Center to keep my temples in check. Aside from this, the man sitting a few chairs away from me is coughing. Not just any cough either; this cough was the equivalent of a 6.8 on the Richter Scale. Everyone in the waiting room was startled every time he coughed. It didn't matter if I stared at him and tried to anticipate the next cough. It still scared the bejeesus out of me every time. I decided to hunker down inside of my hoodie and pretend I was in my warm bed. My serenity was interrupted fairly quickly by a couple of little kids who decided it was a good idea to turn my foot space into a race track.

I'm not bothered by kids who act like, well kids, in public. What bothers me is when parents choose to act completely oblivious to their children. Just because it's a public place doesn't mean people with children get a break from parenting. It's bad enough that families are given priority at the airport, restaurants, and parking lots, but I would rather not be faced with the demise of western civilization at the doctor's office. Instead of making a production out of the loud little bits playing at my feet, I moved to another chair. Thankfully, my name was called quickly after that.

When did waiting in the actual examination room take the place of waiting in the actual doctor's office waiting room? Were there just so many complaints about the wait time at doctor's offices that medical staff thought they were pulling a fast one by making patients wait in the examination room? Genius!

I made it out of the clinic and managed to pick-up my prescription without issue. I finally came home to my quiet, cushioned spot in bed. And I've been here ever since. Sore throat? Working its way out. Headache? Not since I left the clinic.