Laughter Is The Best Medicine

My first story has to do with living in the South. There are times it can be really challenging living in a culture for which you don't feel a kinship. In many ways the South is the antithesis of everything I believe in. As a group Southerners are a gun totin', meat eatin', narrow-minded "you're with us or you're against us" type of folk. I have to admit that on the flip side they are generally a good bunch of people ready to help out any way they can.

Yesterday I called a patient and reached her voicemail greeting: 

 "Blah, blah, blah, blah, and I want you to know that Jesus is coming, coming, coming, soon, soon, soon, and you’d better be ready."

It wasn't just the words that surprised me it was the tone of voice she used for that last part 'and you'd better be ready.' It sounded downright threatening like she was Satan herself! I had a hard time keeping my voice steady as I left my message. Giggling is not professional.

My next story has to do with our YMCA. It is old. It hasn't changed since we moved here and it wasn't new then. No doubt they've done some renovating but I promise you it isn't in the women's locker room. First of all, people must have been smaller in the olden days. The women's lockers are big enough to put your street clothes and that's about it. I laugh as I wonder what I look like as I'm shoving my gym bag into the locker with all my might. Then, the water coming out of the showers changes from nice to hot to cold all depending on who else is using water. I can be rinsing my hair when suddenly someone flushes the toilet and the water gets so hot it's hard not to cry out, but it makes me laugh. If they ever fix those showers I'll be disappointed.