Being Helpful

The Mystery within...

I had the good fortune to have recently experienced some incredibly unhelpful individuals followed up a short time later by two incredibly helpful people.  The stark contrast between my two experiences makes me want to always be as helpful as I can toward the other.

My mission was to pick up some medical syringes for my son at his doctor's office within the hospital.  I was told there was nothing there for him and was dismissed.  I stood my ground and said,  “No, I know the package is here.”  The staff person looked around her narrow space and again told me there was nothing for him.  I still stood my ground.  She then found an envelope with his name on it, and said, “Oh, here it is.”  I said there should also be a box with medicine in it.  She again said,  “Well that’s not here for him.”  I would not give up.  Finally, a second woman said, “Let’s look in the back.” And they both disappeared and soon came back with the box of syringes.  But now the second woman was not going to let me leave with them because they needed to be refrigerated.  Fortunately, the box was already in my hand and I told her I would find a way to keep it cold.    

I went to the emergency room’s check in desk and explained to the two women there that my son was there getting a pick line inserted for intravenous feeding and I just picked up some medication for him that needs refrigeration.  I asked if they could please get me some ice to keep it cold since I did not know how long it would take for the pick line insertion.  With a kind, cheery voice, I was asked if I would like one or two bags of ice.  It was as if the sun came out after a prolonged absence.  Relief and deep gratitude coursed through me.  While I waited for one of the women to return with my ice, the other woman asked about the book I was carrying and told me she recently moved here and needed to get a library card.  And before I left I was asked if I had seen the notice on the desk that the following week a southbound detour would affect access to the hospital. Those two incredibly helpful women, who made me feel valued, who lightened my load, came to mind again this week as a return trip to the hospital was shortened by eight miles with an alternate detour route.

What if we all worked at being incredibly helpful to lighten another’s load and make them feel valued?