Sitting in the doctor’s office thumbing through a magazine I absorb the conversations around me. I was there quite a long time, so several sets of people came and went. An elderly couple were discussing how someone they knew needed a job. They hoped she would find one soon (I did too even though I have no idea who they were speaking of). Then a man came in and sat by himself. A woman in a red top came in and loudly checked in and then greeted the man and sat by him. Immediately they began talking about a company that she presumably worked for and she began using stock market terms, so I tuned them out. Every now and again she would whisper loudly about capital, overhead, and some other nonsense while I read about the most delicious fig recipes. Another couple came in and sat near me who replaced the one talking about a job. This couple was funny in an odd way. She was staring daggers at him while he tried to be funny. Her hands were bruised and she was older, and he said she made him sick with the flu. She told him it was his own fault. He said something about sharing things and she gave him the “you need to be quiet now” look. She mentioned the name of a doctor and it took me a minute before I realized he worked with the local oncology practice. I flipped through my magazine as loud money couple continued to WHISPER so loud I wished they would call me. Nope. They called him.
Loud woman got up and said I am Mrs. Loud, so I get to come with him. The girl behind the door politely said, we are just getting vitals, but you have your appointment after Mr. Loud, so you have to wait here. She said, no, I want to come now and I get to come in with him for his appointment anyway. Girl behind door politely said, you have your own appointment, I have to ask my office manager. Mrs. Loud started making a scene. I know my rights and I am not breaking hippa or anything as he wants me there. Girl behind door politely says, have a seat Mrs. Loud, my office manager will be out in a minute. Mrs. Loud screams at the girl that she better get to go back there, kicks up her foot at the door and slams it in her face, all the while mumbling under her breath about “the nasty little girl” or something to that effect. It was all I could do to continue to thumb through my magazine. Breathe in, breathe out. This is not your plaaaaceee. Breathe in and out. She will get herrrsss. In my head it sounded like Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child. You know the scene in the temple? Yeah. That’s what I imagine when I repeat a mantra. Ha ha. Sorry. I find humor in odd places. I peek up at the odd couple near me. Quiet. Wonder what they are thinking?
I get called next. Yes, an hour later. I calmly tell the nurse hello, and as we get in the room I tell her not to pay the lady any attention who was rude. She says she will let her wait as she is the office manager and the lady just wanted in on her husband’s appointment because she thought she could bump up her own time. It didn’t matter that other patients were waiting. Mrs. Loud was ready to be seen. The quiet girl comes around the corner and heard me telling her it was okay. She asks if I heard or saw the whole thing. I said yes, but don’t you worry. There is one word for her. Karma. That’s all you have to know. She will get back the hatred she just put out there for you. That was uncalled for. The lady next to me has cancer, and some people can barely make it in the door. Mrs. Loud saw only what she wanted to see. She saw that you weren’t giving her what she wanted so she threw a loud fit.
Attention seeking behavior in adults is just plain sad. It is one of the unhealthiest dynamics in an adult relationship. These types of people seem to thrive on being loud and being heard. There are lots of different reasons why these people do this, but quite frankly, I don’t have time to figure out why. They need to figure it out for themselves or they will never change their ways. It is damaging to everyone around them. Some of them are jealous, some suffer from self-esteem issues, and others are just plain arrogant like the woman today. The best thing to do around these people is to continue to be positive. I know, it sounds crazy, but if you indulge them, you are enabling. If the behavior worsens, usually this means the person is really seeking attention in any way they know how, and unfortunately for them, it is in a negative way. Once you acknowledge what is going on with them, it should help until the next hurdle arises. Here is a small article to help your loved ones stop the cycle.
“Those who are unhappy have no need for anything in this world but people capable of giving them their attention.” ~Simone Weil
