Yes, I Do Eat!

Even though I have been retired for over six years, hardly a day goes by that I don’t see or hear from someone who knew me as a pediatrician in the community. During the pandemic, my exposure is limited to trips to Costco,

the local Aldi,

and just a few other places.  When my wife and I go for our morning walks, we usually see the same people who follow the same three-mile circuit.

This year, my TimeLine on Google Maps has been very boring.  Compared to the trips that we were able to take during the last ten years before the Pandemic, the farthest we’ve gone this past year has been to a tree nursery in the next county.   

A few times, while traveling, I have bumped into someone I knew from home.  Once in Barcelona after a cruise, we were staying in the same hotel as a patient’s family who was going on the next cruise. 

When I’m back home, people sometimes register surprise when they see me.   One of my favorite encounters was many years ago when I was eating in a restaurant. A six-year-old patient of mine noticed me and I heard him say, “Look mom.  There’s Dr. Kraft.  He eats!”  

Encounters like this always make me laugh. Those of us of a certain age can remember the days when it was an amazing discovery to know that your elementary school teacher had a family, or even a first name!