Mister Sacks had been having trouble peeing at night, so his sister-in-law convinced him to visit a urologist. It was the first time he had been to the hospital since his wife died, and he still wasn’t feeling great. He just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
The urologist asked him to undress, and only when he was naked did he realize he hadn’t cleaned himself properly down there. In fact, he hadn’t bathed in months—he had forgotten about taking care of himself after his wife passed away. He didn’t know what to say.
Before even starting, the urologist gently took a washrag and some fluid, and pulled something out of his belly button—a brown ball about an inch wide.
“It’s a navel stone,” she said.
She explained that it was a ball made of skin cells, hair, and dirt, formed because of his lack of hygiene. But she didn’t blame him, just calmly cleaned his belly button while talking to him. He felt like a baby, but she was kind and didn’t make him feel ashamed.
Then, the urologist looked him in the eyes, like he was a person, and without wasting any time, she cleaned him down there too. In just a minute, she was done. It was the first time since his wife’s death that someone had paid real attention to him.
She smiled at him, not saying a word, but her smile seemed to say she understood. He looked back at her and smiled for the first time in months.