Reminders

When I was first retired, I noted a trend in various places would send me a number of “reminders” of upcoming appointments. This was a relatively new trend and I was not a big fan.
Primarily I was not a big fan because it (a) implied I was ignorant and couldn’t keep a calendar and (b) it was redundant. Redunancy that, I might add, was irritating.
For example, I would go to the dentist and at the end of my appointment, they would make another appointment and hand me a card with the information on it. I would dutifully record this information in my calendar and all was finished (in my opinion).
On the way home, I would get a text message telling me about that appointment – sometimes it was a year away, but there it was on the very day the appointment had been made.
Then, about three weeks prior to that next appointment, I would get an email asking me to confirm the appointment via email. Two days later, I would get a card in the mail asking me to call to confirm the appointment. Two days prior to the appointment, I would get a text (often asking me to respond “Y”) indicating I was coming to the appointment.
Redundant. Annoying. Overkill! This wasn’t limited to the dentist. Doctors of all types, nail salons, hair stylists, massage therapists, and even church meetings had these programs set up to send reminders.
So initially, I was annoyed with all this media traffic. Over the next few years, I simply deleted or responded quickly to them and forgot about it. Occasionally, a place would indicate they could change me to “one notification only.” That was good. But that was only one or two places.
More than a decade has passed, and if you asked me if I depended on these notifications and reminders, I would laugh! Of course not! I’m totally organized.
Last week, I went to my haircut appointment – it was in my calendar – and my first question was, “Am I here on the right day?” I had not received any type of reminder and I felt honestly worried that I had recorded the date incorrectly.
My stylist assured me that I was there on the correct day, and explained that the automated program was “down” and folks were not getting reminders. I was relieved to be right, and didn’t even notice that I had been worried about not getting a reminder.
This week, I realized I hadn’t seen my ob-gyn for a while and called to make my annual check up appointment. I was informed by the nice woman that I actually hadn’t been there for four years and therefore would be considered a “new patient” (despite the fact that I had gone annually for 40 years prior to 2020). Four years? That didn’t seem possible.
I have to wait extra-long to get in; I have to see a different doctor; and worst of all – I NEVER GOT A REMINDER! Shouldn’t they have noticed I hadn’t been in during that time?
So it took ten years but I changed from hating reminders to being incensed to not get one. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?