Miracles 101

Goodman observes the subtle interplay of the ordinary and the urgent at the infusion clinic. This particular wintry morning was bright and sunny in the outpatient infusion clinic--unlike the patients, who were grayish, pale skinned, and listless from months of chronic illness. They arrived in small finicky clumps, settling in, complaining about cold blankets or a favorite recliner already "occupied" by an earlier arrival. A few were taken aback by the stark beauty of the sunlight glancing off a bright wing from the bird feeder located near the window, but most just wanted to get on with the day's task: the infusion, and the tediousness that came with it. There was little camaraderie or conversation among this group, although they noticed each others' comings and goings.