A Hard Lesson Learned

After talking with a friend of mine, I am recalling one of the most special events in my life. Although my involvement in this event was not my best moment, I am remembering the event and not only the history lesson learned, but the personal, hard lesson that I learned immediately.

I have wrote about this event many times in my life, and share this story in almost every class I teach on "customer relations". From time to time, I still get requests for a written version of this event, so here it is.

It occured many many years ago, when I was an EMT-Basic and before I went to paramedic school. I was working part-time at a small county hospital as an EMT on the ambulance. The hospital used the part time pool as back up for the emergency calls and for all of the interfacility transfers.

So one day, I was ordered to take this woman to a Memphis area hospital and truthfully I was pissed off about it. I was a fresh EMT and I wanted to do the emergency calls. That is what I went to school for, not these long boring transfers. I felt like that it was beneigh me. I was so much more important than this routine, boring interfacility transfer.

So me and my partner went upstairs to get the patient. Sadly, I wasn't as nice as I could have been. Her accent was almost impossible to understand and I just didn't want to hear her whin about the trip. She was going to have her broken hip surgerally repaired. God I didn't want to do this trip. Why did it have to be me? I was there for the emergency calls, for those lives I can save. I was a newly trained life-saver dammit and this was a waste of my talent. We pick her up and move her over to our stretcher, not as gently as we could. We carry her around the corner and hit the wall, not paying attention to what we are doing. We load into the unit roughly and head out on our way for the 2 hour trip. She is still trying to talk to me and I don't want to try to understand the accent.

I almost didn't take her blood pressure, but I did because I had to. I was going to take one blood pressure and then sit up in the captain's chair and ignore the patient. So I had to roll up her long sleeve shirt to get the blood pressure and I something caught my attention, a group of numbers tattooed on her forearm. Oh my God, I know exactly what this patient was.

Over the next two hours, I heard a first person account of the most horrible event of World War II. I learned of this patient watched her father shot in the back. I learned of this patient watching her mother walking nude into the now-known shower rooms and never returned. She told me as a young child, she learned that she was left alive for breading purposes.

I listened intently as this lady spun a web of historical truth, of unbelievable horror, racism, and death. I listened as this woman showed me respect and kindness even though I withheld those very things from her. I listened thinking this woman has all the rights to be pissed at the world; yet she was so kind and patient with me.

Looking back, its funny how that heavy accent was lost as she talked about the horror. I didn't have a bit of problems understanding what she was saying.

I also learned that day that everyone has a story, everyone has their own walk and path they have taken. I also learned that if I am lucky, I will be given a glimpse into their world.

I haven't lost that lesson.

Girls

Friendship

After my seperation and divorce, I decided to focus on the relationships that are important to me, namely my children and my friends. Now saying this, I am not one with a large number of trusted friends. I have quite a few work friends, those that know me as "buck naked the porn star"; but beyond that, the vast majority of work friendships end when I leave the station or office. But I am lucky enough to have some true friends that have lasted over many many years.

And I have decided that my children should meet, know, and feel comfortable around my friends. I want my children to know my friends, those few that I trust. And I want my friends to know my children, the two most important people in my life.

Now one of my trusted friends already know my children. JW lived in my house for a few months after his sudden and unexpected seperation and divorce, and in the normal activities of life, he got to know my daughters and they got to know him. JW, when you read this, they still ask about you and they are happy that you are closer to your son. But they ask about you alot. They even refer to the recliner that you always sat in as "Mr Jim's Chair" and the bedroom you slept in as "Mr Jim's room".

Yesterday; however, me and the girls spend the afternoon and evening with my best friend from college and his family. Now KB and I go way back, too far back actually. There are alot of stories concerning us. Just say that most of the dumb, immature, and harmful things done in college, both KB and I were side by side.

But yesterday my family and his family got together, so our children would have the chance to get to know each other and play with each other. Now KB's wife, HB, has accepted me as a member of the extended family so to say, as have their son. To the son, I am "Uncle Mike".

To sit back and watch our children swim and play and interact was amazing. The honesty of children, their open hearts, their open minds, their acceptance of the immediate and how they see what is good in everyone is remarkable. They accept each other because they see the honesty and good in everyone, not for what they can do for each other.

It was a wonderful day for both families.

I have one last close friend that must complete this process. PD, whenever you read this post, if you read this post, it is important to me for my children to meet you. Given your loving spirit, my daughters will love you forever.

You know who you are

Stay strong my friend. The dark clouds surrounding your life will clear in time. Your friends love you.

Sleep deprived delerium

I feel old this morning, my bones brittle, bugs eating away at the rich marrow, my muscles strain under the stress of constant contracted state, cellular function decreased as micro-organisms invade, replicate, and kill my body. Replicating replicating replicating replicating, RNA transcription, DNA transcription

The government is monitoring us, all of the radio waves monitoring our thoughts, the thought police are all around us, we are the unpersons. Everyone grab a armadillo shell and wear as a hat to guard from the thought police.

Remember this day the 9th of May.

Roll roll roll your boat gently down the stream.

Do you know why there are no more John Waynes in the world? Because of all the hormones in our drinking water. Our drinking water is feminizing everyone. Modern life is rewritting normal evolution process.

Goldilocks and the 35,000 bears

Snow White was a ho. No doubt about it. She lived with and serviced 7 different men.

Fire Fire Fire

Drive thru please.

Thats the way they is

Have you ever wondered why some women and men like to perform oral activities and others dont? Ive wonder that alot

to be an us instead of being a them

limp banana

Have you ever wondered where the idea of HELL with the devil and the demons and it being a pit of fire and brimstone comes from? Did you know that all but 1 use of Hell in the Bible refers to grave.

Dicey Icey

Does anyone else want a pulled pork sandwich?

i am typing wiht my eyes closed. I don't know if i will be able to open them again, this is a test to see how long acan tupe and see if I can typel while actually being asleep. Once at ole Miss, I took a history class final and fell asleep during it and drew a line on 2 pages of my blue book. I solid consistant line, then I wourk up and picked up my thought exactly were it was at. Wried hug?

My god, iam so tired. i gust want to sleep, but i cant. my body is exhaused, my heyes are heavy but my mind wont shut off. Only around 4 more hours lieft at work.