You decide to take a holiday away from the routine of daily life, listening to the miseries of patients and the multitude of health issues, which can be mentally exhausting. You take a “pleasure” trip to another city to relax, but the moment you disclose to your seatmate on a bus or airplane that you are a doctor, they start discussing their own and their family’s health issues, seeking your opinion. Your journey until you reach your destination is thus ruined.
Dr. Munawar Aziz
I remember back in the seventies, I planned a pleasure trip to Beirut with my family, the capital of Lebanon (in those days, it was a prime, beautiful tourist attraction). Before boarding the plane from Benghazi (Libya), I told my wife not to disclose my profession. However, as her luck would have it, a group of ladies was on the plane, and there were some empty seats close to them. She preferred to sit with them to chat. As soon as the plane leveled out to cruise, a lady from that group came to me and said, “Your wife told me that you are a doctor and carry tranquilizers. Could you please give me a tablet because I have a lot of anxiety about air travel?”
I complied with her request, and when I looked at my wife sitting among the group with an inquiring gesture, she ignored my look and continued chatting with her new “friends.” Thank God it was a brief journey; otherwise, I would have been in trouble.
Moral of the story number one: Never tell your wife not to reveal something you want to keep private, because female human nature is to share all information at the very first opportunity, though there are exceptions.
On another occasion, I decided to travel from Abbottabad to Lahore to attend a medical symposium. The person sitting next to me read the label on my briefcase and addressed me, “Doctor Sahib, what brings you to Lahore?” I told him the purpose of my travel. Then he started discussing the medical issues of his family back home and of the cousin he was going to visit in Lahore, who was admitted to a private hospital for a surgical problem. When I disembarked in Lahore, I felt like I had examined a lot of patients in my clinic.
Moral of the story number: Two, Never reveal your profession as a doctor, instead say i am from income tax department or FIA!
- Dr. Munawar Aziz
Abbottabad, Pakistan.
aziz.munawar@gmail.com
Once Meera was travelling from Lahore to Karachi by plane.The fellow sitting next to her was me.After the take off she started sneezing.I said ,are you suffering from cold?She said no.I am suffering from Lahore to Karachi.
Thank your stars. The person travelling to Lahore did not give you the tips to attend the symposium and what all you need to know.
Thank your stars. The person travelling to Lahore did not give you the tips to attend the symposium and what all you need to know.
Very interesting article. I think your wife was just trying to help that lady. How can she lie when her husband is one of a kind DOCTOR.