Advice from a Medical Receptionist

[kevyn]

When I went to the WWU health centre yesterday to see my psychiatrist, the receptionist who checked me in gave me some unsolicited advice:

"Take joy in the little things," Paula told me, happy that I was five minutes early for my appointment. "If you build up the little bits of happiness every day, it grows incrementally, like a savings account. Eventually you have a big bank of happiness, and you can let the bad stuff roll off of you much easier."

I smiled at her advice, amused that my being early (for a change) made her so happy.

"And let me tell you what I always tell my kids," she went on. "Every morning, first thing, look in the mirror, and decide if today is going to be a good day, or a bad day. Because the choice to be happy is ultimately yours."

I sincerely thanked her for the advice, and you know what? This morning, I did exactly what she advised. I looked in the mirror, and decided today is going to be a happy day -- after all, there's a big joy in my life today: Having fought tooth and nail to get back in school, I'm starting my next-to-last quarter today!

Heck, who needs psychiatrists when you have receptionists dispensing advice like that?

Comments

[kcfairy.livejournal.com]

Exactly. There is happiness everywhere if we take the time to notice it. See how many nature sounds you can hear when you walk across campus: The wind in the trees, birds chirping, snow melting and water running, dripping.

[kennapea.livejournal.com]

i think, ultimately, i agree with that advice.
i've found that the more i pay attention to the amusing little things that make me smile, the things that irritate, disappoint, or depress seem less overwhelming.
that's a good receptionist, right there!

[kadyg.livejournal.com]

Receptionists Know All. They are like highly functional Moms who work out of offices. There's a successful business plan lurking in there someplace, I'm sure.

>"Every morning, first thing, look in the mirror, and decide if today is going to be a good day, or a bad day. Because the choice to be happy is ultimately yours."

I used to do this with a waitress I was trapped with four or five days a week. She had a pretty whiny personality and liked to assume the worst about everybody - which drove me batshit. The morning after a particularly bad day I told here that we were going to have a good day today. It worked.

I think just planting the idea that you can choose to have a good day made a small difference and I started doing it two or three mornings a week. I'm sure she thought I was cracked, but it did seem to help. And if nothing else I chose to have a good day, if her's went south it wasn't my fault. ;-}

So tomorrow you will have a good day. Trust me.