The Unnoticed Part of the Holidays

This time of year is normally fraught with joy, happiness and charity. There exists a side that doesn't receive as much notice and few are actually aware of.

As I have stated many times over, if you work in pharmacy you will invariably become attached to certain patients and, in even more special cases, you will become part of their life. They can be as close to family as a stranger can be as odd as that may sound.

Today I was reminded of what a difficult time the holidays are for some people. Several months ago I wrote about a couple who had become intertwined with the day life of our pharmacy. The sudden death of his wife sparked an understandable change in his demeanor.

It's only been in the last month or so where he will walk in the store and you can get him to crack a smile on his face. You can see life in his eyes for the first time since that day and it was a very welcome sight. As he came into the store tonight though, you could tell something was different.

He was preparing for his first Christmas without his wife.

I cannot begin to imagine what something like that is like. Yet as I became aware of this facet of the holidays I began to notice others with a look of sadness beyond their eyes. Some fronted false smiles, but you can still tell that inside they're hurting.

It's the part of this time of year we're all aware of, but never speak of. The pain of others who are unable to share the joys of the season with their significant other or loved one.

What are we supposed to do though? We're just lowly pharmacy folk, we have no stake in this right?

Wrong. Anyone who has worked retail long enough knows that we can have an impact on someone's life outside of our job description. Whether it's chatting with the little old lady on the phone for an extra minute or attempting to get a laugh out of the otherwise fickle patient. I know at times we can become completely overwhelmed with phone calls, faxes and berating customers, but there's always time to make one patient smile in the day.

If anything, I'm reminded of New Year's last year in that you never know what may happen once they set foot outside that door.

I propose from now until the end of the day, all of us at least once a day take time out of our hectic days and brighten the day of one of your patients. After all, that's what this season is all about is it not?