Pharmacists, Not Diamonds, are My BFFs

Marilyn Monroe famously and breathlessly proclaimed that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Well, that may be so, but for middle-aged gals like me, pharmacists are the preferred BFFs.

And man, I don’t mean to brag but I’ve got multiple friends in pharmaceutical places!

And lately, I’ve needed them. As I mentioned previously, I’ve just come off a bout of pneumonia. Not fun! I also recently found myself covered in hives. Likewise, not fun. And unattractive to boot! All in all, as my favorite pharmacist commented, “It’s been a rough couple of months.”

In fact, when I went to the pharmacy the other day, my first appearance there in a month, both pharmacists rushed from behind the compounding counter to greet me and inquire as to my health. It was as concerned and sincere a greeting as from any of my closest friends.

“How are you?” asked one. “We’ve been so worried. Did Jon (aka Handsome Hubby) tell you we said hello  each time he came in for all those prescriptions you needed?

“You look well,” said the other, somewhat dubiously. “Pale, but well. You’re taking it easy, aren’t you? Pneumonia takes a lot out of you. Don’t rush back into things.”

Looking for Friends in High Places

When I first started working in my early 20s, I quickly concluded that – to paraphrase Blanche Dubois in “A Streetcar Named Desire” – I would always need to depend on the kindness of others.

At my first job, I realized friends in HR departments were worthy allies. I didn’t need an advocate against “The Man.” I always did my job well. But I did need help navigating the incomprehensible and boring, but essential maze of health and related benefits. It was a smart conclusion.

At my second job, I broke my leg. There were complications. I needed surgery and couldn’t work for several months. Thanks to my BFF, the head of HR, I had taken out an inexpensive short-term disability policy, which covered my rent and basic household expenses. My leg was in cast, but I remained independent and solvent!

My Niece, the Doctor

My niece is a doctor, a brilliant one at that, world-renowned in her specialty. When she was in medical school, I tried to game her specialty based on my projected personal long-term needs. Would I most need the services of an eye doctor? A dermatologist? Eventually I concluded a plastic surgeon was perfect.

Alas, my niece was a lass with a medical mind of her own and she opted for orthopedics with an emphasis on shoulders. “Oh, well,” I say with a shrug. “Wait. What was that twinge I just felt in my shoulder? Maybe I need to give Leesa a call? STAT!”

Save the Planet. What’s In It for Me?

Which brings us to Handsome Hubby, who has built a brilliant career saving the planet. He’s been hailed globally as an environmental savior. He’s had presidential appointments by George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

That was all well and good when I was youthful and idealistic, but now I’m older, a hardcore pragmatist. What do all his good deeds get ME? Box seats at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts? Floor seats at Golden State Warriors basketball games?

That’s why last week I considered putting HH on a free agent sports waiver and checking out my options, just like they do in the National Basketball Association.

Of course, I’m not sure who’d really be interested in a middle-aged woman, recently recovering from hives and pneumonia and in desperate need for a hair appointment to cover up all the gray roots that spread faster than those hives!

So, while I’ve spent a lifetime depending on the kindness of others, right now I’m profoundly grateful that I’m married to the kindest man on the planet, who needs are simple – an  occasional home-cooked, preferably edible, meal and periodic back rubs!

In return, I get non-stop love and kisses, reciprocal back rubs, rapid-response killing of scary bugs, help finding my constantly misplaced cell phone and eye glasses, and non-stop re-assurance that I’m still the cutest girl in the room!

Pharmacists and HH are My BFFs!

It just goes to show you, as a middle-aged woman, when it comes to “depending on the kindness of others,” there’s no one better than that cute boy I married 32 years ago … and oh, yes, my friendly pharmacists, who are always on the lookout for my health and well-being!