Friday I hit the inky streets. My feet had a heaviness to them. It
was the morning of Susie's back surgery. I wasn't so much worried about the
surgery itself. After all, the hospital had just been rated the #1 spinal
center in Georgia. And I just wanted her angelic smile to replace the grimaces
brought on by excruciating sciatic pain after the cyst on her lower spine was
excised. You know, a good five mile fast walk does more good for the soul than
all the doctors and medicines in the world. But, I didn't know how much of a
balm it was to be.
So, there I was, on the back half of my five mile walk, the morning
star we call the sun was coming over the horizon, walking up the hill at a good
twelve minute a mile clip, putting the ghosts of worry on the run. Then, I saw
a sleek young lady coming over the rise approaching me at a good running clip.
We passed each other, smiled, gave a slight acknowledging wave, and said a
breathy "good morning" to each other. Then, I heard a "Dr. Schmier" from
behind and before I knew it, she was walking next to me.
We talked on the walk. "You don't remember me. I'm Alice. I was in
your first year history class seven years ago as a freshman."
We started talking. She told me about herself: married, mother, and
nurse. I told her I had retired last December 1st, about my writings and
travelings, about coming out with a book in a couple of months, and care taking
of family members over the past six months. When she asked, "How are you these
days," I said. "Trying not to think about my wife whose having lower back
surgery this morning."
On the move, after I told about Susie's condition and not liking in the
slightest seeing her in pain, and hoping--"incysting" the operation rid her of
pain--she reached out and softly touched my wet arm. I turned my face towards
her. She had a reassuring "all will be well" smile on her face. No words.
There was nothing matter-of-fact in either her touch or face. No expected
etiquette. Just sincerity. Then, she hit with a ray of light that brought a
sweet taste of love to the dawn.
She said something like, and don't hold me to a word for word accuracy.
I don't usually carry a stenographer's pen and pad around when I'm on the
streets. "I guess it's time to thank you," she said. "Your course was
probably the most important one I took in college. It made me the kind of
nurse I am today. No, more than that, the kind of person I am today, the kind
of wife and mother I am today. I'll say it: you changed my life during those
fifteen weeks. You probably don't remember this, but I do. I was confused
little freshman. My parents wanted me to go into the family business. I
didn't and didn't know what to do. You wrote back to my journal entries. We
talked about my future and I told you I want to be like you and you said,
'You've got to walk your own road. Be like you, not me, after you discover who
you are.' I told you I wanted to go into a people business and do some good,
not just some retail store, so I was looking at teaching and nursing. You told
me, and I remember your words exactly, 'If you become a teacher practice
"carefull--with two 'Ls'"--teaching,' but if you decide to become a nurse think
of yourself going into 'healthcaring business,' not just the 'healthcare
business.' I remember you emphatically saying, 'Whatever you decide to become,
don't 'thingify' it. You told me not to lose sight of people, to notice them,
to listen to them, just I want others to do with me. I remember you telling me
to always observe the golden rule: to treat other, to feel about them, to
think about them as I would want them to do the same to me. I thought at the
time that you were bringing the church into our class. You told me not to lose
the crucial feel, a sense of special presence, for people. How did you say it,
'Never overlook the criticial part of whatever I decide to do: the complex,
mysterious, sacred, and poetic human being.' I'm not sure I understood
everything you said at the time, but I do now, and I've been doing that ever
since in everything throughout my life. I never stop hearing those words every
time I enter a room or talk with fellow nurses. Sometimes they and the doctors
think I'm a pain, but you taught me that nursing was more than needles, IVs,
procedures, charts, treatments, medications, and protocols. It is about people
and about first understanding each of them, their fears and hopes; that nursing
and education are a as much an art and calling as they are know-how; that
they're all about the patient or student, not the nurse or doctor or teacher,
not the hospital or university, but the patient or, in your case, the student.
You taught me by modeling that the art of nursing is love, that how I treat a
patient can be just as powerful a medicine as what they swallow or what goes
into their veins. What was it you said about a kind word or a soft touch? You
were right. Kindness, compassion, tenderness, understanding, respect, and just
to sincerely listen are the best comforting things you can give patients. You
taught me that they are so vital in what I do. You taught me to be more than
technical savy, as you put it, more than an 'animated hypodermic needle,' but
to be 'people savy' even more. Now, because of you, I don't just focus on
doing no harm; I concentrate more on doing good. It's all because of you. So,
I just want to say 'thank you, thank you, thank you' for helping me to make
myself who I am and will become."
I looked over as beads of sweat poured into my eyes. My vision was
blurred, but I saw my vision as clear as a bell. But, before I could say a
word, she said with a smile, "You're slowing me up." She turned and continued
her run while I continued my walk in the opposite direction.
Alice didn't give me a chance to say anything. Maybe she meant it to
be that way. Anyway, she was an added morning star to the sun. And, I felt a
comfort in my heart. But, I also began to wonder how many people, in this case
teachers and nurses and physicans, are in cardiac arrest. They don't practice
with their heart. Why do so many people think they can separate a person's
spirit from her or his body, focusing on the latter and ignoring the former,
not dealing with the whole human being? Why do so many academics think it's
all about, and only all about content, technology, and technique, or what the
jargon calls "pedagogy." Suddenly, up popped images of a final plenary at the
Lilly-South conference on teaching in February that touted an "new" approach in
the classroom called "T-Pack" that was so "people-less." But, that's the rest
of the story..
Make it a good day
-Louis-
Louis Schmier
http://www.therandomthoughts.edublogs.org
203 E. Brookwood Pl http://www.therandomthoughts.com
Valdosta, Ga 31602
(C) 229-630-0821 /\ /\ /\ /\
/\
/^\\/ \/ \ /\/\__
/ \ / \
/ \/ \_ \/ / \/
/\/ / \ /\ \
//\/\/ /\ \__/__/_/\_\/
\_/__\ \
/\"If you want to climb
mountains,\ /\
_ / \ don't practice on mole
hills" - / \_
---
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