The Longest Relationships

At my doctor's office the other day, I described some of the things I was considering doing in the next few months. She said, "I like the sound of that. It's just right for a free spirit like you."

Free spirit? Isn't that a euphemism for someone who can't settle down, who can't hold a job, who doesn't fit in? I didn't know what to make of her comment. She must've seen that puzzlement on my face. She said, "I mean that in the good way. You don't care to conform and you don't like to be tied to a daily schedule. You bucked the system and you know the price you're paying for your freedom but you still value your freedom more."

This is my family doctor. I had no idea she remembers anything about me or that's how she sees me. Until recently, I only saw her once a year, if that. But maybe that's why I've been with her for over 25 years. She never makes negative comments about what I am. I've known her longer than I've known The Man. She delivered The Boy. I've seen her pregnant with all three of her children. Yet, ours has always been a doctor-patient relationship.

Come to think of it, this is also true of my dentist. I knew him when he was single, just starting out in his practice. Then he got married, moved offices, and adopted a daughter. Now his daughter is in university. But aside from this, I don't know much about him.

My doctor and my dentist, they are the two longest relationships I have outside of my birth family. My longest relationships are with health care providers. I wonder if that's true of other people, and whether we live in a society where professional relationships last longer than personal ones.