I'm sitting in the waiting room for my first radiation appointment. I got here early so i would have time to get lost, and also to scope out the kiddie's room. Amazingly enough, i didn't get lost and the nursery was near-by, so i have a few moments to relax.
My first day of treatment turned out to be my waiting-room-companion's last day. This tall, thin guy in a beige linen suit was cracking jokes when he got here and seemed very at home. He had no hair, so it was hard to tell how old he was, but he was no spring chicken. I didn't know that it was his last day until he and a nurse came out of the office and walked over to a bell on the wall. I had seen the bell earlier and wondered what it was for. I had tried to imagine someone ringing the dinner bell(?!) here, and just couldn't get that image to work....the nurse soon explained.
The bell was donated to the waiting room by a patient who was in the Navy. A tradition was started where the bell would be rung 3 times whenever someone finished their treatment, symbolizing the end of one journey and the beginning of another. When he rang his 3 times, those of us in the waiting room clapped. There were only 3 of us, but he was beaming as if he was in a theatre, having a standing ovation.
Then he was gone. He's off to his new journey, and so am i.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Ring! Ring! Ring!
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2 comments:
I love it! I am going to start ringing a bell whenever I accomplish anything. It might make me start doing actual work things and stop reading so many blogs!
My sister said that it is a zen principle (maybe zen?) that ringing a bell clears the air in the room and resets the vibrations in there. What a wonderful way to clear the air! And not to be too corny, but you remember what they said in "Its A Wonderful Life," right? Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings!
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