I'm Sorry Dr. Schmidt

For a few years I worked as a tech at an emergency vet clinic. I didn't always think so at the time but it was a wonderful experience that I look back on now with the most fond memories. But that's not what this post is about.

We had 2 regular doctors and the remainder of the shifts were filled by a rotation of regular vets in the community - a group of them had formed a board to open the clinic. The shifts were long for the doctors, 6pm-8am. They were allowed to sleep so most of the time and I guess it was not so bad, just a night away from home on a crappy bed.

One of the founding board members was a tall, girthy, shabby gentleman named Peter Schmidt. He and his brother Joe ran one of the priciest - and best? - clinics in the town. There was a air about them that many people found pretentious or just plain snobby. While Joe seemed like a grown up and settled down tree hugger, Peter looked more like a middle aged Chris Farley -if Chris Farley were a bookish nerd with dark hair, an uncombed beard, glasses, and a lab coat.

Dr. Schmidt would arrive for his shift carrying a stack of no fewer than 5 books, each hardback and with no fewer than 500 pages. He carried the stack at a specific angle - ensuring the books could be held steady by his chin, while still accounting for the outward curvature of his belly - that allowed him the use of one hand if needed. You may think they were books on veterinary medicine he might want to reference as emergency care is not exactly common place in a regular vet clinic that mostly does well visits, but this was his collection of current recreational reading.

I asked him more than once why he would read so many books at the same time and not just read one at a time. He always gave the me same answer: You watch more than one TV show at a time, don't you? I'll point out here that Peter was married and had 2 sons that were somewhere between 8 and 13 years old and they had no television in their home. I thought him ridiculous - in addition to the unpleasant snobbery - and never asked anything about the books themselves. He came to represent a certain image in my mind that was not at all admirable.

I never learned to love reading. I have some mild dyslexia that always made it a little harder for me when it came to reading. I very much love stories so I loved to be read to, watch movies, see theater, et cetera. But I struggled with reading comprehension and speed so I was embarrassed - already being the fat kid made me rather reluctant to call attention of any kind to myself - so I just didn't read. I'm sure my academics suffered immeasurably because of this. Not only could I not imagine that a person could read so many books at the same time, but I just simply couldn't fathom that anyone would want to. Just the thought of it made me a little light headed.

Fast forward nearly 10 years and I find myself rereading a novel about the history of philosophy - as a refresher for when I return to school. It's a deep read and I can only do a few chapters at a time because I need to digest what I've read. That said, I do want to continue reading. So today I went to one of my book shelves - while I may not be an avid reader I have always loved to be around books so I snatch up all of them that I can and now have the beginnings of a nice collection - to pull a second book to read while stewing in the information from the first. I chose a second book that would be what the first was not. It's light and familiar and humorous; Kitchen Confidential.

And now, I find that I have gained a bit more respect for and possibly a small understanding of Dr. Peter Schmidt.