Carrying a toddler higher up above her waist, one arm around to cradle close, the other below to both brace and provide a perch for the little one, the lady moved quickly past me. The child, whose arms were linked in a loop around the guardian’s neck, burrowed deeper into the embrace. And on this cold and windy morning, this walking tableau spoke to me of love, care, trust.
There
was the woman I passed on the sidewalk flanked on either side by young children
(one looked to be as young as a first-grader, the other, possibly, no older
than fourth grade). They moved as a unit, their steps brisk, though their level
of engagement seemed, almost, leisurely.
She was speaking to the one on her left-- the older one whose eye
contact, body language, and lips curving up just so, signaled a forthcoming
and, likely, humorous protest to her words.
The younger child, expression, a soft gaze trained on the path ahead,
left arm looped through her right elbow, was also, judging by the head tilted
in their direction, quietly listening. This
had me revisiting some early childhood memories of being out in the world with my mother on my way to being dropped off at school.
As
I sat in the waiting area for a follow-up doctor’s appointment, one of the
medical assistants came out a few times to greet and escort patients further
into the office. The first time he opened the door, he mimicked being an opera
singer and sang out the patient’s name. When he finished, he had a big smile on
his face and I burst out laughing! The
next time he appeared, channeling a game show host, he mimed reading the
patient’s name from an imaginary card, saying, "Come on down, you're the
next contestant!" Don’t know how
often he changes it up, but I appreciated the fun he was having with it.
Finally, there was the Registration associate who addressed my concerns about a medical procedure that was scheduled for me when what I had actually agreed to was a medical consult. She listened, asked the co-worker who had given me the initial paperwork to cancel the appointment, and then explained how best to proceed. I really appreciated her energy. At no point during our interaction did I feel rushed by being cut off or did I pick up any sign of impatience while I was speaking. She listened with presence and kindness and it made me think of a quote that’s sometimes attributed to Maya Angelou about people, possibly forgetting what one may say or do, but always remembering how they made one feel.