my gift to me (m)

December 23rd.  Red letter day on my calendar.  Time for my annual exam with my primary care physician.

The alarm goes off at 6 a.m..  I jump out of bed, remembering I have to bring the SUV in to have snowtires put on.  The place opens at 7 a.m. and there's a line by the time we get there.  Ugh.  They promise they will "do their best" to get the car done today.

Get home by 7:30 and put a laundry in and make my bed.  Time for breakfast but I'm more tired than hungry since I stayed up past midnight making cookies for the skaters.  They all decided last minute to exchange gifts, but only if they are homemade.  Sixteen kids, sixteen little gift bags.  I made Harrison do it, but I was up with him.

So...I went back to bed.  My mother wakes me out of a sound sleep to tell me one of my cousins has been arrested.  I can't go back to sleep.  I shower, change and get the car loaded for the day.

Drop H off at the rink and just make my appointment at the doctor's office.  I'm feeling a little stressed by the activities and news of the day thus far.

The nurse takes my vitals.  "You don't have a fever", she says after taking my temperature.  I explain I'm here for a physical exam, not a sick visit.  "Oh", she seems disappointed.  "Well, your blood pressure is 110 over 68" she exclaims.  I'm surprised.  I thought it would be through the roof.

My doctor, a slim, blonde-haired Boston Brahmin comes in all decked out.  As in deck the halls.  Her bracelet makes a tinkling sound because the charms are little bells.  She's wearing Christmas socks with a holly design on them, a red turtleck and an enormous bell necklace.  She has the results of my recent blood test.  I wonder for a second if she knows in advance what they are and if she would be dressed so festively if she had bad news to impart.  Two years ago, one of the test results was bad and I was misdiagnosed as having a disease.  Turned out to be a fluke, but I've been on pins and needles since.

"Everything looks great", she says. 

I decide this is my Christmas gift.

She notices the weight loss and tells me to keep it up.  She says she can't wait to see me next year.

Me neither.