The Practice of Everyday Kindness

The Practice of Everyday Kindness

by Paul Kowalewski

It’s amazing what you can learn sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office by just paying attention to what is going on. Yesterday I sat in such a room.

Throughout my life I’ve sat in hundreds of waiting rooms at numerous doctors’ offices – it’s almost always the same experience. The receptionists are sometimes pleasant, more often abrupt, and at times even rude – barely tolerating the people who have appointments to see the doctor.

Waiting rooms are often quiet places, but rather than being calming, the silence often hangs like a cloud over the room – filled with tension over upcoming appointments. No one makes eye contact as people avoid one another by browsing through magazines they would otherwise never read.

My experience in the waiting room yesterday was totally different from anything I had ever before experienced. It was a very low-stress place. People were smiling and even laughing at times. Almost everyone was engaged in some form of conversation.

I didn’t see a magazine anywhere. The elderly man who sat next to me smiled and talked with me about how much better he is feeling since he gave up smoking two years ago – I congratulated him on his success.

As I “paid attention” to what was going on in that room, I very quickly realized that the relaxed atmosphere, the lively conversations and the camaraderie were all due to one key person who was literally “making it all happen” – a very “kind” receptionist.

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