Let me first say: I'm tough. I am. Sort of.
I'm a single girl, living in a big city, far from family. I think that there have been plenty of times that I wasn't qualified to do something, or should have deferred to family for help, but living here on my own, that isn't an option. So, I say I'm tough with the full disclosure that given the option, I would much rather have someone make the big decisions or do the heavy lifting. However, sometimes I'm my only option.
That being said, last Friday I had to go to the hospital- not the rushed to the emergency room kind of trip, but the suuuuper early scheduled CT scan kind. I'll spare you some of the details, but let's just say I spent a few early hours getting poked and prodded, having blood drawn and tests run, having to drink that gross white chalky stuff, getting filled full of chemicals, and at the very end, getting sick. I capped the whole morning off dissolving into sobs in my car.
Here's the deal- I forgot I'm not that tough. It was scary, and I felt really, really alone. For the record, there are a million people I could have called to go with me. In fact, my friend Marla asked repeatedly if I wanted her to come. The thing was, I thought I could handle it. I'll admit, I toyed around with the idea of taking Mar up on her offer, but she's got babies and lives in the suburbs, and it seemed really selfish to ask her to come all the way into the city at the crack of dawn to hold my hand, just incase I got scared. The same goes for my city friends. I couldn't really figure out who to ask to come with me, knowing that any one of them would have to miss some work and totally disrupt their day.
A few days later, my friend Matt said something that totally struck me. While recounting a trip to the ER, and the girlfriend that took him there, he said, "That is one of the huge bonuses of relationships, you know, someone to go with you to the hospital."
And while I've never been one to 'need' to be in a relationship, and while I don't doubt my ability to take care of myself...
Matt's right.
Here's the deal- I forgot I'm not that tough. It was scary, and I felt really, really alone. For the record, there are a million people I could have called to go with me. In fact, my friend Marla asked repeatedly if I wanted her to come. The thing was, I thought I could handle it. I'll admit, I toyed around with the idea of taking Mar up on her offer, but she's got babies and lives in the suburbs, and it seemed really selfish to ask her to come all the way into the city at the crack of dawn to hold my hand, just incase I got scared. The same goes for my city friends. I couldn't really figure out who to ask to come with me, knowing that any one of them would have to miss some work and totally disrupt their day.
A few days later, my friend Matt said something that totally struck me. While recounting a trip to the ER, and the girlfriend that took him there, he said, "That is one of the huge bonuses of relationships, you know, someone to go with you to the hospital."
And while I've never been one to 'need' to be in a relationship, and while I don't doubt my ability to take care of myself...
Matt's right.
I just want to say, for the record, that I will accompany ANYBODY to the hospital or doctors office. Being the daughter of an elderly father, younger sister of an ER doctor and sister-in-law of an ER nurse makes the hospital kind of like a second home. So never, ever hesitate to ask. And you know all I do is theatre, which is pretty much unemployment! I love you! Text me if you are free Friday night.
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