This morning, I visited the general hospital nearby, armed with a referral from my usual doctor. Upon arrival, I was called in by a doctor I hadn't met before. My first impression of him was one thing above all:
Youthful.
He strikingly resembled a member of a popular Japanese idol group - a young face not quite a 'youth', but more of a 'big brother', or perhaps even a 'boy'. His voice had a boyish quality too, reminiscent of a young pop star (who, incidentally, isn't so young anymore). He seemed even younger than my sons, which initially caused me a bit of concern. However, the doctor was extremely kind and efficient in his examination and diagnosis. After setting up my next appointment, I headed back home.
When I shared this experience with my wife, she quipped, "It's not that the doctor is young, you're just getting older." As I pondered her words, wondering why this had made such an impact on me, it clicked.
The doctors I usually see, the ones I can instantly think of, have been with me for at least five years; some for over a decade. There's even one I've been seeing for twenty years. Indeed, all my regular doctors have aged right alongside me.
I guess being in a routine with the same doctors month after month, I hadn't noticed the younger ones coming in.
And so, when a serious condition arises or surgery is needed, and you're sent off to the hospital with a referral, you find yourself greeted by a new generation of medical staff, which can be quite disconcerting.
It was an interesting revelation, to say the least.
