The urgent care front desk, the ER nurse, the pharmacy tech: your worst days are their regular shifts. Be kind to them.

What counts as a crisis for you is a Tuesday for the people who handle it. They are working the fourth version of your emergency today, which is the only reason they are steady enough to be useful. That is not indifference; it means the kindness you receive is coming from somebody already carrying a full shift of other people’s worst hours. Continuing to offer it costs them something.

If you end up in one of those rooms, be plain and patient with whoever is at the desk. Say thank you on the way out. It is the cheapest thing you can give someone with hours still to go.