Vending machines

I have always found vending machines weird in general. There are a multitude of different types of vending machines - for example, one of the ones in the Dreyfus University Center at UW-Stevens Point dispenses terrible coffee despite being in front of the window to the Brewhaus, a coffee shop in the DUC. There was a vending machine in the Sands at Medford High School (I am unsure if it is still there) that rarely worked, but was the best one in the building. They would put snacks in it such as apples with peanut butter or carrots and ranch dressing. There seem to be vending machines everywhere of every type.

It was Thursday, at an ungodly time in the morning, as I was sitting in the second-floor clinic waiting room at the Aspirus Medford Hospital I noticed the two vending machines next to one another.

Now, I have been in the second-floor clinic waiting room a lot in the past year, approximately once per month since April, but I have not noticed these vending machines until now. I don’t know if it was my lethargic brain that just decided to hyper-focus on these instead of the game show that was playing loudly on the TV.

As I sat there staring at the adorable vending machine couple, I noticed their contents. One contained a multitude of sodas, some energy drinks, and very few flavors of Gatorade. The other had chips, candy bars, and bags of other snacks. I started wondering why those items would be in a hospital, a place that feels like the options should be solely healthy — maybe some sparkling water, some apple juice, or even some iced tea. I was thinking that I would expect the waiting room to have a vending machine similar to the one from my high school days. Certainly, a vending machine in a hospital wouldn’t have both Red Bull and Monster cans in it for the low, low price of $2.50? I continued pondering this even after I was called back for my appointment, and then after that when I was waiting for my caramel frappuccino and the three other (equally sugary) Starbucks drinks I ordered in the hospital gift shop.

I know that the purpose of the vending machines is to provide some sort of sustenance to the people who are waiting for an extended period of time, especially since the second-floor clinic waiting room is also the waiting room for the birthing center. It is for anxious parents-tobe and their close family and friends so they don’t pass out or miss a single moment while waiting for the new baby to finally arrive.

The knowledge of this does not eliminate the wonder I still found in watching the vending machines that morning. It is a wonder and curiosity I hope to find throughout my entire life. This has been difficult for me to do in recent years. It has been difficult for me to find enjoyment in things I normally enjoy, or to find things that I enjoy doing.

More often than not, I find myself dwelling on current events and how they will affect the world around me, as well as listening to people argue and complain about the state of affairs instead of doing their part to help the situations improve.

My family has raised me to be very community minded. My dad’s job required him to go to a lot of community meetings and events and report on them. He would come home and tell us about the meetings and what was going on. He joined the Medford Kiwanis Club, he joined the Medford Curling Club, and he made friends with Sue Emmerich - who wears multiple hats in promoting economic growth and tourism in the community. We would attend the events held by these people and organizations as a family, and, because of an inability to say no to things and the need to improve the world around us, we quickly started volunteering at the events, which led to us organizing events.

Being a part of these with my family made me appreciate what my community does for everyone. This, along with my dad writing about his family (me) each week in The Star News created a sense in me that my community is watching me, waiting for me to make them proud.

I haven’t known how to do this recently, with my mind being focussed on the things going on in my life in college and the events happening in the world around me, but I hope to figure it out some day. Until then, there are always vending machines.

Brian Wilson is News Editor at The Star News.