Consideration Matters
This morning, I received a very meaningful phone call. A gesture of kindness and consideration that meant a great deal to Ada and me, and Don as well. It made us happy and, honestly, a little melancholy too, as calls such as this seem rare and out of the ordinary.
Here’s a little background . . .
Our dentist sent us a letter late last week informing us that the dental office would be changing its focus and would no longer provide preventative and standard dental services – only specialty services. Our entire family has been going to this dental practice for about fifteen years, and we all absolutely LOVE our dental hygienist. Truth be told, she is the reason we stayed with the practice for so long. During each check-up, she treated us with compassion, care, competency, and we all felt comfortable going in because we knew we would be seeing her.
When we read the letter, we were upset because the changes to the dental practice are occurring very abruptly, leaving us no time to see our hygienist again – and most of all, giving us no opportunity to express our gratitude for all she has done for our family. So I decided over the weekend to stop by the office sometime this week to see if I could get her contact information – even though I knew that this might not be allowed for the sake of her privacy.
Luckily all my worries came to a screeching halt when my phone rang this morning. Here was our beloved hygienist, calling US to express HER gratitude and appreciation for our years together. We had a lovely conversation, and it was very satisfying to be able to share together, exchange contact information, and make plans to meet again away from the dental office. And when we hung up, I couldn’t wait to tell Ada and Don.
As the three of us talked, we each remarked how thoughtful it was for her to make that call. And then – simultaneously – we had a sense of sadness that our dear hygienist’s gesture of kindness and care is more the exception than the rule. And we wondered WHY?
Are we all too busy to take the time required for such a heartfelt expression?
Do we worry more about “billable hours” than going that extra step to connect?
Do we consider our professional duties so separate from our personal relationships that we feel uncomfortable reaching out to those we’ve grown to care about in our professional capacity?
Is the connection with our clients and others our top priority?
Has social media and other convenient ways of “communicating” replaced TRUE connection and care?
Perhaps most importantly, do we have our priorities straight?
Our dental hygienist modeled consideration, care, and kindness today, and she’s even more beloved than she was before.
How can you take that extra step to express consideration and care for those important to you?
That’s the question Ada and I are asking ourselves this week!
Wishing you a week of connection,
Annette