Putting it in Perspective

A resident walked in my office today. He was a tall man who smiled as he carefully approached the counter. He was very polite and the kind of person it would be easy to start a conversation with. His pleasant disposition shielded any sign of the terrible disease that was hidden throughout his body. I was surprised he was applying for a handicap sticker. I was even more surprised to read the prescription from his doctor - cancer. He walked slowly and had to sit down immediately when he came in. What do you say to someone who has this terrible disease? My heart broke for him and then without warning, the man with his kind smile said to me 'you must know pain yourself'. I didn't know how to respond. The truth is yes, there have been times in my life when I have 'known pain' but nothing like this man has ever felt. We talked because I knew right off the bat he wanted to tell me his story. It is amazing how people deal with pain. Some revert into themselves and hide behind a vail of silence. But this man, like many, didn't. They open up and talk about their lives. He has had this horrible disease for ten years now. Ten years on pain meds and patches and chemo. He lost so much weight I hardly recognized him from his license photo. But yet, there he was standing in front of me telling me he was off to buy his juice at the store and his life story. I told him his permit would expire in 2014 and he responded 'if I am here'. I went into my private office after he left and thought about all the complaints I hear during the day, all the times I have been in the hospital and went home, all the people I have met who battled far greater illnesses and have lost. Sometimes it takes someone like that to put it all in perspective. We go throughout our lives and worry about the small stuff that seems so important and then you meet someone like that who doesn't even know if he will be here tomorrow. I guess my point is at least once a day, take a step back and say 'someone, somewhere has it far worse than I'. This may sound strange to you but try it when you think the world is against you. You may just find a new perspective.