Entry tags:
In good hands
Waking up this morning with a tummyache turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to complete a couple errands that I didn't get to during the long weekend because of a combination of torpidity and uncertainty.
The more important of these was getting an HIV test done at the local LGBTQ+ clinic. I'd been trying to work up the courage for at least a week. Saturday I'd even gone so far as to walk to the clinic only to find that it closed at 3 p.m. Today, I actually made it in the door.
As I'd expected, it was fairly busy. I had an hour wait to see anyone but I was determined to get it done. Sunday was World AIDS Day, so I'd been bombarded on social media with reminders to get tested, which of course did wonders for my anxiety. The staff was terrific. When they heard the details of my possible exposure they offered me the rapid response test at no extra charge and let me wait in the examination room while they ran it. As expected, it came back negative.
By this point, my discomfort was mostly gone (raising the possibility that it had been due more to stress than eating the wrong thing) and I decided to go into work after all despite it being so late in the day. On the way, I had time to knock off one more errand and pick up four waiting prescriptions. Not only that, I also fit in a visit to a local café for a little lunch and to a chain restaurant to say hi to a friend.
By the time I made it to work, it was already after 3 p.m. To my surprise, there was a box on my chair from a local tea emporium containing a sampling of a dozen varieties. The note said, "Our sincere condolences, your colleagues". It was a really unexpected gesture and choked me up a bit.
The more important of these was getting an HIV test done at the local LGBTQ+ clinic. I'd been trying to work up the courage for at least a week. Saturday I'd even gone so far as to walk to the clinic only to find that it closed at 3 p.m. Today, I actually made it in the door.
As I'd expected, it was fairly busy. I had an hour wait to see anyone but I was determined to get it done. Sunday was World AIDS Day, so I'd been bombarded on social media with reminders to get tested, which of course did wonders for my anxiety. The staff was terrific. When they heard the details of my possible exposure they offered me the rapid response test at no extra charge and let me wait in the examination room while they ran it. As expected, it came back negative.
By this point, my discomfort was mostly gone (raising the possibility that it had been due more to stress than eating the wrong thing) and I decided to go into work after all despite it being so late in the day. On the way, I had time to knock off one more errand and pick up four waiting prescriptions. Not only that, I also fit in a visit to a local café for a little lunch and to a chain restaurant to say hi to a friend.
By the time I made it to work, it was already after 3 p.m. To my surprise, there was a box on my chair from a local tea emporium containing a sampling of a dozen varieties. The note said, "Our sincere condolences, your colleagues". It was a really unexpected gesture and choked me up a bit.