What Happened to Common Courtesy?

USPA NEWS - In a recent visit to the hospital, I was to encounter a man who had no respect for where he was, and thought only about what he was doing.

A few months ago I had to go to the hospital for a planned procedure, the kind where I cannot eat any solid foods the day before and I have to drink a lot of awful flavored liquid that will clean me out. You know what I mean. Anyway, you know how hospitals are situated, where we are able to pull up to a door and drop someone off or pick them up, so the patient does not have to walk through the parking lot. My son attempted to drop me off at the door, but a gentleman in a van was driving the wrong way and we had to swerve around him. The man pulled up and parked at the door. He was not dropping anyone off. I observed him taking newspapers into the hospital, probably leaving them at the welcome desk. I was made to walk from the parking lot so I could get to my appointment on time. In the time it took for us to park and for me to walk to the building, the man went in and came back out. Yes, we could have waited on him, but he was parked in the wrong direction, and why couldn´t he have parked in a regular spot and keep the lane open for patients.

I was feeling offended with the situation, so I decided to knock on his window; when he was done delivering the papers in the hospital, he proceeded to sit in his vehicle for quite a while, doing some sort of organization. He ignored my first knock, and my second knock, and finally put his window down after my third. Mind you, I am not a scary looking individual and do not mean anyone harm. I am in my 50´s and starting to move around like an old lady. I was not behaving in a threatening manner. When I told him I was there for a procedure and wished that I didn´t have to walk from the parking area, he got absolutely hateful with me. He should remember he is a representative of the newspaper he is distributing. If he would have apologized or even parked the correct direction in the lane, I wouldn´t be writing about this. What happened to common courtesy? I wasn´t nasty. There was no reason for him to get mean with me. I just wanted him to consider patients that go in and out of hospitals. He would not stop belittling me and would not let me get a word in, so I turned and walked into the building. He was still speaking loud in my direction when the doors closed. There were no markings on the van, so it must have been his personal vehicle. I wanted to contact the newspaper, but calling the ones in the area to find out which one of their carrier´s drove a silver mini-van, made me feel like it wasn´t worth my energy. I chalked it up to encountering another individual who just does not have respect for anyone.

After telling my story at home, I found out a friend had an issue at another hospital around the same time that I did. He was on crutches and had to go in just to get some blood work done. He got dropped off at the hospital door without incident, however, as he was entering the building, a woman came rushing by him and tripped lightly on his crutches. No one fell, but she could have waited behind him until he was through the doors and then passed him. The situation could have been much worse. Our friend did not need to re-injure his leg due to someone who was in a hurry. At this hospital, there is a central registration were you check in, give your insurance information, and then you are able to get whatever procedure or testing done. When our friend arrived at registration, there was the woman who tripped over him. She was being told that the hospital no longer accepts her insurance from Michigan. We are in Ohio, about 15 miles from Michigan. The hospital decided to no longer take Medicaid from the nearby state. Our friend thought it funny that she was in such a hurry, only to get turned away.

Personally, I try to be courteous. I smile and say hello when I make eye contact with people. I open doors and say thank you when they are opened for me. I will even make chit-chat with individuals at grocery stores, if they seem receptive. If they are not, I do not let it bother me. When elderly or disabled are not able to reach items on shelves in stores, I will get what they need. I even take the time to make sure that it is the correct item and offer to grab then another if it is not. Politeness does not cost us a thing, except maybe a small amount of time. When I do these deeds, I hope that someone is watching and will learn a little from it. We need to be teaching courteousness, and not rudeness or hatred.

Wendy Westhoven
United States Press Agency
http://westhoven.uspa24.com
I welcome comments and suggestions.
E-mail - westhovenwendy@gmail.com