Farewell, Fitzy

So, on a lighter note, I changed primary care physicians today.  I actually was happy to have an excuse to switch (he's retiring)- friends had been asking me for years, "You are kidding me!! He's your doctor!??" Now I don't have to get defensive and try to explain myself anymore ("I'm hardly ever sick"… "There's something homey about his musty-smelling office"… "He cracks me up"…)

When I got off the phone with my insurance company to make the whole switch formal though, I felt a little nostalgic and sad.  No more sitting in those ugly dining room chairs in the waiting room next to the dehumidifier, leafing through old Times and Newsweeks.  No more frat boy doctor,  breezing into the exam room in his plaid pants and loafers with no socks and polo shirt with the collar up, asking me what I had read on the internet about my symptoms, talking at length about himself and all of his daring feats of physical prowess.  No more bumping into him at my kids school (our kids went to school together) after spending the day before with him at my father-in-law's death bed in the hospital (he was my father-in-law's doctor, too) and saying hello and me coming to the realization that he has no idea who I am. Yep…. I'm going to miss good old Fitzy.

This is also an end to the last thing that brought me back to my Massachusetts home town on a regular basis.  I moved there almost 25 years ago from NJ, a sweet little town known for it's apple orchards and one big smelly pig farm.  I raised my children there, went to church, the dentist, the doctor (Dr. Fitzy) and put many miles on my minivan driving around those back roads to play dates and little league practices. Our first house as a married couple was a half a mile from Dr. Fitzy's office, on the same road.  I liked passing that house on my way to the doctors and remembering happy things. I'm going to miss that.

One of the receptionists from his office just called me as I was typing that last paragraph to wish me luck and tell me how much they'll miss me. And I found myself getting choked up telling her how much I'll miss them and how great they've all been over the years. Silly old me….