I got you what I wanted you to have

Well, it’s that time of year again at the hospital. Some folks we haven’t seen in a long time are trickling in, much the way relatives you’d forgotten about seem to materialize around this season.

Last week the nurses polled the patients for Christmas “wish list” items. These ranged from cigarettes, to airplanes, to PS2 games, to “two cheeseburgers and a coke”.

This afternoon I wandered into the staff break room, snuffling for cookies, and found the room filled with the Christmas gifts the staff had selected for the patients. The enormous pile consisted of roughly two dozen units each of shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, tube socks, and underwear.

Part of me was thinking, “Please, God, yes! Please make them use this stuff, even just for a day!” Part of me was thinking, “This is a poor substitute for an airplane.”