A Patient Patient

by Terri Ferran

As I reclined in the exam room chair at the endodontist’s office this morning waiting for my turn under the drill to complete my root canal (one of eight too many), I had a thought I wanted to share before it died of loneliness.

I reflected on being a patient and being patient. As a noun “a person who is under medical care or treatment” I do just fine. As an adjective “bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger or the like” I often fall short.

I concluded we may not be able to change or control what we are (the noun), but we can change or control how we are (the adjective). Fortunately, we are all works in progress and changes can still be made.

On a lighter note, if you’ve ever wondered if you’d rather have a root canal or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick—choose the root canal. I know, I’ve had both; but that is another story.

p.s. thanks to dictionary.com for the definitions of patient!