I dialed the pharmacy’s number, hoping the call to refill my prescription would be a quick one. I had more important tasks on my to-do list. I spent 15 minutes on hold before someone picked up.
“Date of birth?” The voice was so monotone that I thought it was a recording. I answered the question. After a long pause, I heard, “It will be at least two hours before I can get to this. I’m the only one working here today.” That monotone was no recording, just the voice of the exhausted, overwhelmed pharmacist. As she started to apologize, I stopped her. She sighed, clearly expecting an earful. Instead, I told her, “I want to thank you for everything you do. I know being short-staffed makes your job difficult, and you and your coworkers deserve silver stars.”
Another pause. Then the pharmacist said, “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now. Thank you.”
We wished each other well before hanging up. I moved on to the next item on my list, certain that my call had been more important than I’d ever imagined.
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