I have a small lesion on the bridge of my nose.
I’ve had it for a while, so I thought it was high time that I went to the dermatologist and have him take a look at it. And so I did. And so he did. He also took a biopsy and cauterized it. He told me that, if I didn’t get a call from the office in two weeks, everything would be A-OK. He also said that, if everything is not A-OK, it would be a simple matter to address.
So, it’s no big deal either way.
His assistant put some antibiotic cream on the lesion and covered it with a band-aid. When I told her Sweetheart and I would be going to a Thanksgiving dinner at the senior center, she said I could make up some good stories about what happened to my nose. I’m always good for a laugh, so I decided to go one better. When I got home, I asked Sweetheart to draw a smiley face on the band-aid.
I couldn’t wait to mix with 200 other people and see their reactions. After all, it’s hard to miss a band-aid that is located on such a prominent part of the body. Sweetheart and I sat at a table with five other people. Not one of them made a remark about the band-aid or showed any amusement. It could be that they laughed all the way home, but I wouldn’t know that.
Two days later, we went to a benefit dinner and fundraising event for the family of a man who was killed in a work accident. Hundreds of people were coming and going. I knew several of them and spoke with them for several minutes. No one said anything about the band-aid, even though there was a huge smiley face staring right at them.
I was feeling bummed about the whole affair, but Sweetheart said everybody just didn’t want to be rude. Since I was not getting any sympathy, I just took the band-aid off and left it off. All that was left was a little scar and red mark anyway.
A couple of days ago, I went for a massage. The therapist is a dear friend I worked with and car pooled with 20 years ago, before he found his true calling. He noticed the red mark and asked me about it.
Later that day, I went to the chiropractor for a spinal adjustment. He has been treating me for more than 20 years and we feel like family. As soon as he opened the door to the treatment room, he saw the red mark on my nose and expressed his concern.
I guess there is a fine line between being rude and expressing concern and everybody knew where they fit in. Maybe, some people just didn’t want to be “nosy.”
I’ll just be glad when my nose returns to normal—or, at least, as normal as it gets.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com
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