Perception

Perception



Dr. Murray grew impatient as he reached for the last magazine on the waiting room table. He was due back at his office 30 minutes ago, and is most likely sharing the same frustration as his patients who are waiting for him across town. BBRRIIIINNGG!!!....his cell phone rang. His office has been calling all morning.
                   “…I’m still waiting to see him”, he shouted to the caller.
                   “…I know I’m late!
                   …I can’t leave, Rudy’s booked for weeks!
                   …just tell my patients I’ll see them shortly and cancel my other                    appointments!”
He hung up. He made the appointment to see his eye doctor, Rudy, two weeks ago. If he would have realized his lengthy wait, he would have called an hour earlier. They’re friends, but with no extra privileges. Accepting his uncontrollable situation; he picked up the magazine from his lap and began to read.

“Stress in the Workplace”, the front cover of Newsweek spoke to him from the page. His eyes began to hurt as he squinted down at the small print of the magazine. It seemed rather patronizing considering he was in the waiting room of an optometrist. He wiped the irony from his eyes. Rudy suddenly walked in the room nervously.
                   “Sorry Murray. Damn powers out in the back rooms. We’re calling an
                   electrician and they’ll be here shortly. Again I’m sorry.”

At this time over on Downy St., Bob sat alone at his desk. He was staring at the wall when the phone suddenly rang. His business has been slower than usual, so he was anxious to answer.
                   “Ya…I’m a ‘lectrician”, he spoke into the phone.
                   “…where’s your office?
                   …Oh…should take ’bout 10 minutes.”
He grabbed his map and quickly jumped in his truck.
                   “Damn! AC’s out again!”
He rolled down the windows and turned up the radio. As he pulled onto the road, a strong gust of wind blew threw the cab; sending the directions flying off of the dashboard and out the window.
                   “Damn!”
He pulled off the road to call the customer for directions again. He felt a little embarrassed, but he had no choice.
                   “We’re sorry! All of the lines are busy.
                   Please hold and we’ll be with you shortly.” said the message on the other end.
Bob parked and waited.

Meanwhile, back in the waiting room, Dr. Murray glanced down at his watch. He grew ever more frustrated as he watched the receptionist. She sat behind to counter; laughing on the phone to some distant relative who was laughing back from somewhere on the other end. He thought of his own patients waiting for him across town in a room very much similar to this one. He imagined them watching the exact same scene. The reality of their anger dawned upon him as he suddenly noticed beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

Behind the door in the hallway, Rudy was pacing back and forth in a nervous wreck. He was furious with the electrician who was now 15 minutes late. Being dependent on a slow-witted handyman was not a situation he was used to. And it angered him even more.

                   “Pick up the damn phone already!!”
Bob shouted at the recording. The blazing summer heat wore his patience thin as he listened to the message play over and over. He sat there in his truck and thought of the many things to say to the receptionist when and if she picks up.

In the midst of this chaos, the kindly receptionist sat at her desk. Filing her nails and laughing away into the phone; completely oblivious to outside world. She had not a care on her shoulders. She just smiled and kept talking to the unknown caller; holding life in the balance.

Sometimes we don’t realize how much our actions impact the lives of others-even those we don’t even know.