Friday, November 24, 2006

It Nearly Killed Me, But I'm Still Here To Write About It...

     Work, that is.  I DID make it in to work on Thanksgiving Day, against the protests of Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named...she really should know better by now than to "protest" ANY of my professed desires...it only makes me STRONGER!  LOL

     My work hours, which actually ended up being LONGER than normal because of a high volume of over-stuffed and drunk Thanksgiving Day celebrants ending up in emergency rooms, was beyond grueling.  My work partners and I not only did NOT get to partake in any type of Thanksgiving meal or festivities, we actually ended up having no time to eat ANYTHING AT ALL!  Unless of course, you call a two day old bag of Cheetos, a can of pop, and some apple slices a meal OR a celebration...but, ah...the life of a public servant.

     My coworkers are always so wonderful to me, but even more so in times when I am ill...they simply allowed me to "pace" myself and helped out in any ways they could like driving, etc.  My vertigo remains constant, but the nausea is completely manageable with drugs right now...and my left leg...well, that's another story to be later determined.  It continues to tremor, be weak, and essentially be quite annoying for mobility...the cane helps, but it is also quite cumbersome.

     I grew extremely tired and weak (from lack of sustenance most likely!) toward the end of our last emergency room evaluation...I was tired, kranky, shaky, "roid raged", and simply not in the mood to encounter yet another human being.  However, just in the midst of my free fall into pure physical hell, the family members we had been working with came up to us to say "thank you" before leaving the ER and before we sent their loved one away to the safety of a hospital.

     I know this may not sound like such a big deal and one would probably think we are "thanked" many times in my job, but this is simply not the case.  Most often, someone is always mad at myself or my coworkers and unhappy with our assessments...either our clients or the professionals that refer them.

     But the genuine sincerity of this particular family touched my heart greatly...they truly WERE grateful for our work and care with their loved one.  They were THANKFUL on Thanksgiving Day and they went out of their way to make certain that message was received by us.

     So, two lessons learned here...ALWAYS say thank you when you mean it because you have no way of knowing just what an important impact that may have on someone else.  And number two...Thanksgiving really isn't about the food, it's about gratefulness!  I think I already knew these important lessons, but it never hurts to remind myself every now and then!...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The picture said it all....

I'm glad someone appreciated your efforts.  :)

Anonymous said...

PEEJ:

Ain't that the truth!  And yes, the picture does say it all...

LD

Anonymous said...

I think I remotely remember asking you NOT TO DO IT, didn't I?  But NOOOOOO, you won't even listen to MOI!  

I think you are on tough cookie and as you are blessed by your co-workers, they are blessed by you as well.  =)

Now who's the crazy one?

Suzy, practicing the Chi-Town Super Bowl Shuffle, just in case.    

Anonymous said...

Ahh, work. The <b>curse</b> of the drinking class.

We should <b>always</b> thank those who help us.

Anonymous said...

Huh?  Someone said thank-you!?  I've been drilling this into my kids since birth (that, and YES SIR!) with mixed results and you get it just like that!?  I think I feel a draft here in Haliburton Hell ... better check the thermostat to make sure it's not freezing over.

Anonymous said...

SUZY:

That's right...I'm my own CAPTAIN of my ship...sinking or not! LOL  And yes, I am truly blessed by the absolute best group of people I could ever find to work with...or perhaps, they found ME?!?

I hope you survived your T-Day, but get that dayumed typepad fixed over on your blog...it's most annoying to someone who's already stressed with roid rage!

LD

Anonymous said...

CROVIRA2:

I feel absolutely SMUG to report to you I have FINALLY downloaded itunes!!!  Now, I'm just trying to sort out how to use the darned site and determine if it would just be easier to get an iPod now...as you can see, I'm heavily plotting! LOL

Hope you are well...stuffed to the gills with bird, and enjoying a holiday weekend.

LD

Anonymous said...

MDMHVONPA:

Yes, it's absolutely true!  Someone WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY to say thank you...what IS this world coming to???

Ah, I gotta say the "yes sir" thingy with the "chillin's" will only buy you good graces in the South...when I moved to the Northwest and said, "ma'am and sir", I got some pretty disgusted looks...I understand those greetings are actually "RUDE" out here, to which I simply say, "Go F... yourself!"

And did you not chop enough wood to keep the manor lit like a candle until the next millenium???  I can't imagine you would even NEED to use gas/oil/electric heat! LOL

LD