This past week I took some time to visit a medical specialist at the advice of my Family Physician.  In his opinion it was time for a check up.  It only took two years to finally get around to doing it.

My General Practitioner wasn’t upset, he just told me to get it done.  I remember his tone exactly.  It wasn’t negative, insulting or condescending.  It was just complimentary to my guilty feelings for not having done so when he told me, oh so long ago.

I called in for an appointment.  They had an opening, dog gone it!  So, I figured that the Almighty, Sovereign God was clearly leading in my schedule.

The specialist’s office asked me to come early to fill out all the necessary paper work.  I planned that into my schedule as well.  At the time I made a mental note at how business-like they were on the phone.

My mental note was reinforced when I showed up at the office.  I almost felt like snapping my heels, coming to attention and whipping up a salute.  But, I thought better of such a show of jocularity.

The receptionist handed me a clipboard, asked me to fill it out completely.  She added without taking a breath that should I be called in before I was done, to take the paper work with me and continue writing until it was complete.  Her instructions were prophetic.  Before I was even close to being done, a medically uniformed woman entered the waiting room, “Fong?”

I looked around the waiting room  Clearly I was the only Asian there.  Not only that, I was the only person there.  Nevertheless, I was open to playing by the rules.  So, I raised my hand, “Here?”

I got up and followed her into the examination room.  By then I was at the end of my good-boy routine.  She asked me to sit while she took my blood pressure, “Are you allergic to anything?” “Just to BP cuffs.” I responded seriously.

For the first time she hesitated and then laughed uncontrollably, “I just got that!”  We chuckled together.  “Your BP is beautiful.” “Sure, laughter is the best BP medicine,” I diagnosed.

“Are you taking any prescriptions?” she inquired with a smile. “Oh, yeah, a little of this and a little of that.”  She roared like she hadn’t laughed for weeks.  We heartily guffawed together.  I won’t even send her a bill for this visit.