Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

My friend and I cleverly walked this morning, before the rain began, and though, because she was a doctor, I am used to phone calls interrupting us, now that she is retired, I realized today she is in the habit of picking up because a woman might be in labor, or a nurse at the hospital needs to reach her. We used to go to movies and I never knew if she'd have to leave and we'd never see the end. We once had a subscription for a theater company, but about only one out five times did she make it to the end of the play. Luckily, with that situation, she always took her own car, so my husband and I didn't have to leave. I can only wonder what it would feel like to be that interrupted that often. It would rattle me. I guess when my kids were still at home I jumped to answer the phone if one of them was out. But this was mostly before cell phones, and so the calls were not that relentless. I probably should ask her to please not pick up. I usually don't even bring my phone for our walks, and I am courteous when in the company of others. When I taught, I had students contact me through email, so I had control over when I was interrupted. My friend is quick to respond and act in all cases. It's a life and career skill she's mastered, but I believe the toll it has taken on her may be great. I've spent the last forty years meditating, doing retreats, and generally being out of contact, so we couldn't be more at odds that way. I have a new sympathy for the stress a doctor experiences, even if she's a retired one.