The People You Meet

One thing good about visiting Alden at the hospital  was that I was able to meet long lost relatives, friends from childhood and some friends of my brother. I was amazed by the number of concerned people who visited him at the hospital every day.

Husbands and wives of nieces and nephews were there too and it was the first time I met them. Come to think of it,  they have their own families now with kids either in grade school or in high school. Is that how long I haven’t been there? It’s just that when we go home, it’s either an overnight or two or three days stay only. No opportunity to visit and bond with them. I have this cousin who is turning seventy soon and she has lots of medications for her heart and her blood pressure. I spent lunch with her family and we had a good chat about life in the province. She is very close to my brother and my sis-in-law. She asked me to visit often. Mom is here with me so I can’t readily pack up and go. I have to arrange for her stay at my brother’s house if I want to go home again.

There was this other doctor at the hospital who sometimes do the morning rounds. Alden said the first time he visited, he was “masungit” (snobbish and haughty). When he visited Alden when I was there, I introduced myself as a grade school classmate of his wife who is also a doctor now. Since then, the smiles appeared and he listened to us.  What having some friends can do for a person to change his attitude towards you.

I met this guy while waiting for the doctor at Medical City last Tuesday. He is a third year Philosophy student, a seminarian from San Carlos Seminary. He hails from Cainta too and he was there to have a check-up for his cough and colds. They do visits and give communions to patients at San Lazaro Hospital, a place where they treat infectious diseases.  I advised him to wear a thick face mask when they do the rounds.

People from all walks of life, people who  somehow influence one’s attitude towards others, people who are friendly enough to strike a conversation with you – these are those who make life more meaningful.