By Betsy Gonwa, 
A Three-handed Job?
I arrived early for my appointment, checked in with the receptionist, and prepared to settle into a seat to wait, but when I was in the process of taking off my windbreaker, I realized that the zipper was stuck. A piece of fabric was caught under the part of the zipper that is meant to clamp only the teeth of the zipper, and it was stuck fast. What’s more, the place where it was stuck was near the top of the zipper, inches from my neck.
After a couple of unsuccessful minutes, I was frustrated and beginning to feel hopeless. Inspired, I attempted to pull the jacket up and over my head. The opening at the neck was large enough – I discovered — to fit my head through. Then, holding the jacket in my lap, and feeling a little relieved as I was able to see what I was doing, I began again to gently persuade the fabric to free itself.
The waiting room was rather cozy with only four chairs, and there was no television. There were just two of us, simply present in the quiet of the office, sharing the space only with the receptionist going about her work.
“That looks like a three-handed job,” I heard from a gentleman across the waiting room who apparently had been watching my struggle. Before he spoke, I had been planning to get through the morning pulling my jacket on and off over my head, intending to address the stuck zipper later. Perhaps because disconnection and isolation seem to be the norm these days, I was not expecting an offer of help. In a more common scenario, he would have been oblivious, most likely interacting with his cell phone. Yet that was not the case. In that moment, he saw me and cared, and reached across the space between us. The kindness of his offer to help seemed simple and natural, and at the same time profound and deeply compassionate. We were two strangers about to become acquainted.
I stood up and walked over to where he was seated, grateful for his offer of an extra hand. Both of us held fast to the bright yellow nylon, with him serving as a secure anchor and me gently tugging. Sporting a sense of humor that had not been there before, I said, “I think it might be a four-handed job!” My free and relaxed feeling had come about as we worked together. Embracing this task with the company of a willing partner made all the difference. I no longer felt the helplessness that had engulfed me before.
Fortunately, we were successful before either of us was called to meet with the doctor. This brief encounter led to a time of connection and cooperation and bonded us as fellow human beings.
When I re-entered the waiting room after meeting with the doctor, the waiting room was empty, but I still felt uplifted and connected to the greater community of humankind.
In these days when there is so much disconnection and isolation, where are you seeing connecting and cooperation? How are you connecting to the greater community of humankind?
