My Hospital Gift Shop Experience

My training and profession imply that I am in the hospital numerous hours a day. While in residency I walked through and across the whole hospital, visiting different floors. I took care of patients admitted in various units. Sometimes I had to run to the other end of the hospital in need of some caffeine ( to visit Starbucks ). I passed by the hospital gift shop numerous times but never visited the store.

Years ago I was shocked  when I spotted a gift shop in a hospital for the first time. I had a hard time seeing the necessity of having a gift shop in a hospital. But after my niece was born, the gift shop suddenly seemed a perfect idea. We were able to buy balloons as soon as she was born. We also had some visitors who brought flowers from the shop as they visited my newborn niece. And now years later I have completely embraced the idea of having a gift store in a hospital. These stores usually have everything. May be the selection is limited but they have everything. And by everything I mean balloons and cards, fresh flowers and pottery, candies and chocolates, books and magazines, stuffed animals and baby clothes. An exhausting list indeed.

Recently on my away rotation I finally visited the hospital gift shop. I had reached work 15 minutes before time. I never run late ( don't judge me !) but I never arrive before the scheduled time either. To conclude  I am always on time!  So to utilize those 15 minutes wisely I decided to visit the hospital gift shop before my shift began. As I glanced through the shop this is what caught my eye.

How aptly a simple mug was able to convey how I felt. I thought it was more than coincidence. I decided to buy it.  But as I made up my mind to purchase the mug I spotted this one ( below ) on the other side of the display pillar.

Now I was so confused. But this yellow smiley mug brought an instant cheer. It made me smile. It served as a boost to uplift my mood. I was suddenly better. I felt energetic. So I decided to buy the yellow mug instead of the green one. 

But when I walked to the register there were three people in line for checkout. I had only couple of minutes left before the shift started. Since I didn't want to be late I decided to not buy the mug . As I left the shop I was actually happy. My spirits were elevated and I had saved some bucks by skipping a purchase. Not a single penny spent but so much gained.   A win win situation for me indeed !