The Doctor Is Out!

Dear Blabby and
Crabby:

My wife and I are both retired and in good health. It
seems every time we go out to play cards with our friends in the bridge club,
the conversation always centers on who’s had what illness or operation. My wife
and I are competitive bridge players, and this medical rehash destroys our
concentration. While we are always interested in the health of our friends,
night after night of endless discussion of gall bladders, hemorrhoids, bowel
obstructions, and heart problems is wearing a little thin on me. My wife says
I’m becoming intolerant and lack empathy. Am I being unreasonable to
expect more out of our social evenings? Signed: The Doctor Is Out

Blabby: I can relate to Doc’s problem. My wife and I
played dominos with friends the other night, but all we talked about was our
medical issues. I know it’s characteristic of older people to do this, but what
can be done about it?

Crabby: Stop playing dominos!

Blabby: That won’t work. It happened at tennis last week
also. People just love to talk about their problems. You can’t stop doing
things just because the conversation is a little boring.

Crabby: My wife and I used to be in a bridge club, and the
other members did the same thing. All we heard night after night was health
problems. We got tired of listening to this, so my wife and I devised a plan.

Blabby: What was that?

Crabby: We agreed that when the medical issues started the
next time, I would stand up and ask all of the women to raise their hands if
they suffer from vaginal dryness. My wife would then ask all the men to raise
their hands if they suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Blabby: What happened next?

Crabby: Everyone got real quiet. Nobody said anything
more. The bridge game moved right along.

Blabby: That was a pretty bold move for you and your wife.
I’m curious, what happened at the next bridge party?

Crabby: There weren’t any more parties. We received an
email that the group had disbanded.

Blabby: What a surprise! I guess that meant that you
didn’t get any bonus points for a dirty trick!

By Don Griffin
Blabby and Crabby Blog