Success - What are you willing to do?

I have been working with  a group of boys this summer (about 18 signed up) in a program I designed called Power Surge.  It is a speed, endurance, and agility program for ages ranged 9-14, and it has been a ton of fun.  I work with them twice a week and assign homework for the weekend to be completed by the following week.
Each time we meet I have a T.O.D (thought of the day) at the end of each training session, and along the way I have found some very interesting snippets of wisdom for myself as well.
I have been talking with the boys lately about 'Success', and what it means to work towards it.  I found a video online the other day by Eric Thomas to be very interesting, and it spoke to me about what it takes to obtain success.
The 3 things that he speaks about which lead to a successful life in all areas are:

1) Heart- At some point in you life the factors that separate you from others start to even out as you progress, and in the end it's not where you come from, your strength, or your ability that get you to where you want to be.  At some point it becomes about heart.
2) Sacrifice- Are you willing to give up who you are now for what you are capable of becoming? Not many people are willing to give up the comforts and conveniences of what they currently have in order to become something more. Are you willing to give up some of the comforts of familiarity, sleep, free time, and complacency in order to become a better person.
3) Pain- Are you willing to accept pain along the way? When you strive for a better , more successful life, you are going to experience mental pain (stress), uncertainty,  and at times physical pain.  But at the end of pain comes success.  The pain you experience to move to a better place is temporary though, but quitting is forever.  When you quit you have to live with the choice to do so for the rest of your life.
I found his words so full of straight forward truths , and he calls out the people in his audience to really take a look at themselves. He is talking with a class of young kids, but he very well could be speaking to any one of us. 

The video is linked to the title of this blog post if you want to watch it online. Just click the title of this post 'Success: What are you willing to do' and it will take you there if you want to watch it.

Lactose intolerant

So we are on a call today with an elderly female who called us for complaint of shortness of breath. When we pulled up on scene she was waiting for us in her driveway with purse in hand hollering at us to hurry up.
"Mam, are we here for you," I asked?
"Yes you are," she responded.
"Well, why don't we go inside and take a seat so we can assess you," I add
So we go inside, and she sits down and immediately starts to calm down as we are talking with her.
As is the case with so many of our calls after we get there. Most people are alone and scared, and once we get there they soon begin to calm their nerves.
This is very common for us to run into on the streets because so many people have a lack of medical sense, or have just enough from internet sources, that they get worried when alone.
So we run through the normal assessment routine and everything is perfectly fine with her, but my partner asks me to perform a 12 lead EKG to get a betttr look at her heart.
If you are not familiar with 12 lead EKG's they are a tool you use to see if anything abnormal is happening with the heart electrically. It requires you to lift the persons shirt and place several sticky leads around their left chest area. In women, at times depending on how large their breasts are, it is difficult to maneuver the breast tissue out of the way to place the leads.
This elderly female had no lack of tissue so I was trying to be discreet.
"Mam, I am going to have to lift your shirt to put some sticky things on your chest."
I lift the shirt and realize that she doesn't have a bra on.
So she states the obvious, "I don't have a bra on."
"That's okay, I'll try to cover your breasts when I'm doing this," I tell her.
Then she smiles and says something to me that I never in a million years would have guessed her to say.
"That's alright , I don't have any milk for you anyway." And a big smile from her !!
Blush !! ...........Blush some more.........Bright red !!! I am at a loss for words, and that doesn't happen much with me.
I just have to laugh at her comment, but then I come back with, "That was very awkward."
"Well, I thought I could just be straight forward with you boys," she adds and then smiles real big.
Every time that I think I have seen everything on this job it seems that I get surprised by someone or something new.
It is like the twilight zone at times- you enter into it and until you leave you never know what's gonna happen.

The Outsiders

So I am filling in for the day as a nurse the other day at a rehab facility, and it is finally my turn to go to lunch. The facility that I was working at is very nice, and the buffet they serve is awesome. I was looking forward to eating a big salad along with whatever side dish that they were serving for the meal that day. So I get all of my stuff together, and then I look up to start scanning the room for seats. I notice that the staff are generally sitting in one area and the clients are all sitting amongst themselves in another area. So I am confused at this point as to whether there are rules about the staff and clients sitting with one another during meals.

So I walk up to one of the staff members and ask, "Are staff and clients allowed to sit together?"

"You are allowed to, but we discourage it," she then says to me. "You need to be cautious because if you sit with them they will engage you."

It wasn't the sort of engage that you would use in a positive way either. It would be more like the type of engaging that you try to avoid at all costs when you see someone you don't want to talk to. For instance, this might be the type of avoidance you're seeking when you're at the store shopping, and you see an acquaintance that you don't really want to talk with. You might walk by an aisle and catch a glimpse of them out of the corner of your eye and suddenly speed up to avoid any and all contact. Then you probably spend the rest of your time at the store mapping out you route so you'll never end up on the same aisle at the same time as them. Not that I've ever done this, but I hear people are petty like that sometimes 8). So this worker was cautioning me about the fact that if I sat with these people I might actually have to talk with them. You know, its sort of reminded me of the lepers outside the walls of Jerusalem who were not allowed to socialize or even talk with the 'normal' people inside the city walls. Keep your distance from them because if you get too close you might get 'ENGAGED' !! Eeeeewwww !! Engaged.....what is that and how do I get rid of it once I get it? Can you treat it with antibiotics.

So after listening to her response I thought to myself how odd that had just sounded, and I went on my merry way to sit with a group of clients.

As I approach a table of young adults I ask them, "Do you mind if I sit with you all?"

Heads turn and puzzled looks come my way because I am in scrubs, and they all know that I'm staff.

"Sure, have a seat," they say.

So we all start eating together, and they immediately start 'engaging' me like I was one of them. I sat the whole lunch with them , and they did share some of their life with me. It was an awesome lunch , and one of the better ones that I have had...and not because of the food.

I couldn't help but think to myself that these are all awesome people that each have their own unique story. Sure, some of them have made mistakes, but so do I on an hourly basis. No one is without fault in this world, and the sooner we realize this the better off we will are.

So after lunch that day I was reading the following Bible verse to my boys at dinner: ' For he who is least among you is the greatest' It struck such a cord with me because the events at lunch just that day. It made me really take a look at the fine line that we all walk in this world between the so called 'normal' and 'abnormal'. The world so often labels us without even knowing a single page of our story, but Christ judges us only on what our hearts have on the inside. The world says if you look like you have it together then you really must, but Christ can see right through us. He knows that we all are just a bunch of ragamuffins that need some filling from the inside. No one on this earth is free of problems, and Christ doesn't really care about that anyway. The only thing he cares about is where you put your heart !

Lunch at work the other day helped me realize that we are always to remember Christ's love for us so that we can live a life that seeks all comers, working from outside the city walls inward.

Teach me !!

So I had a long day this past Sunday , and I am sitting at the computer at 9 o'clock finally just taking a chill. A lot of stuff went on that day that kind of left me fried by the end of the night. I had talked with my boys that afternoon and let them know that I was upset with the fact that our family time seemed to be readily overlooked because it got in the way of their 'friend time'. I was also upset that I had to just take my dog to get put to sleep. I didn't want anyone around me when I was sitting at the computer, and I was hoping that peace would surround me the rest of the night. Then I hear a little voice from behind me say, " Dad?"
I am certainly not ready for this , and I immediately turn around thinking that one of the boys has gotten out of their beds to goof around. Then I blurt out these angry words,"Son...oh my fricken' gosh !! What do you want?"
I am ready to send someone into trouble land , and I am not having any of their craziness anymore tonight.
"I just wanted to tell you I am sorry for making you upset today," says my son, and then he gives me hug.
Okay....okay... I know, put a big JACKASS stamp on my forehead at this point and a dunce cap while you're at it. Oh.... and sit me in the corner of the classroom so I really learn my lesson. School is in session for this Daddio.
My heart immediately turns from one that is filled with anger to one of shame.
Bug lump in my throat and a , "Oh...Oh.....I love you honey and thank you for apologizing."
My son then turns and walks back in to his room to go to bed leaving me sitting in my chair wondering when I will ever learn to think before I react.
Isn't it funny sometimes what we learn from the littlest ones around us. All it takes is the willingness to sit and listen for a moment sometimes before we set judgement. It's funny how as a parent you think that you are going to be the one who is the teacher of all things to your kids, and so often times it is just the opposite. Their hearts lead us through this world and teach us everyday about the most important things of all: humility, love, and forgiveness.

Colon Hysteria

Is it possible to fake passing out !! Not when a seasoned street medics are around. Believe me, people try it all of the time with us , but we don't buy into the act. Case in point, we are on our way to a typical fainting call the other day, and I am looking on the computer update screen for information. I am reading all of it and I notice two things : the complaint and the history of the patient. The screen tells me that the patient has passed out and is now conscious, and the history tells me that she has colon problems. Not the typical kind of colon problems that you read about very often on medical websites or even see in a text book. This is the type of colon problem that only a person themselves can diagnose: a spastic colon. So I am already giggling on the way to the call because I have the sense that we are heading into the twilight zone on this one.
So we are rumbling down the road in our medic truck , blowing the air horn at cars , and fighting thru traffic to save a life, when we pull up on the house.
Note to self - there are police cars out in front already- very suspicious !!
I get out of the truck and then walk into hysteriville !!
Two adults, one man and one woman who are completely wasted drunk, are pacing around the front room of a small house. I notice an officer talking with them near the hallway , and then I notice a middle age woman on the floor in the main room just lying there motionless. The two adults , apparently the brother of the woman on the ground and his girlfriend, are very upset to see this lady laying there motionless. In their drunken stupor,they start yelling at us to help her , and at one point the drunk girl turns to me and says, "I love this woman."
Awkward , but no comment on my end . I think to myself, "I like you much better when you act like a statue."
So we walk over to the woman on the ground and try to talk with her.
No response. Hmmm... !!
I knew the this woman was faking because we had seen it way too many times before. Lots of drama between family members , and then one of them pretends to pass out to get attention. So there are a group of four of us around her and we begin to try to rouse her. Tap, tap, tap on the shoulder, "mam, can you talk to us."
Nothing ! She lay there motionless with eyes closed.
The one of the guys tries a sternal rub on the chest. Just a whince , but no verbal response.
"Here let me try," says someone else. A pinch of the trap muscle and a big whince this time.
At this point everyone is losing patience with this woman, and I am feeling like we are in a scene from Airplane the movie with people lined up to have their chance at trying to bring this woman back from the depths of her hysteria.
Wrong time to stop sniffing glue !!
So after a few more agonizingly long seconds and no further response I say to everyone, "Let's pick her up and move her to the couch."
So we move her over to the couch, and when we set her down she collapses into the cushions pretending that she has no control over herself. People from the crew continue trying to ask her questions, and then I start thinking we need to try a different approach. Obviously, the one we have been taking is not working and she is not budging from her hysterical act.
I am on the outside of the inner semi-circle around her at this point, and I then begin to make my way thru the crowd to get closer to her. I tip-toe between people so as not to disturb her fragile state with any extra noise, and then I lean down and over her to get really close.
Before I even realize it these sarcastic words role right out of my mouth, "Do......You......Have......A.......Spastic........Colon..........?"
Eyes open, a chuckle, and a big smile from her!!
We are staring right at each other now and she immediately says, " why, yes I do !!"
Demons be gone and return to the light Carolanne. You've been cleansed !! This house is now cleeeeeaaaaarrrr!!
I turn to the crew and then say, " My work is done here. I have expelled all the demons from this woman , and I must now go and save others who need me !!"
I turn and walk out the front door leaving the dark reaches of the twilight zone behind, only to wait until the next time its long arms grab us to pull us in. I then find myself thinking about what just went on and can only smile at the situation.
There is no better feeling as a medic than when you save someone from themselves.

George Washington

I volunteer as a coach for an under 10 boys soccer travel team called The Fury. I know, I know it sounds like a rock band to some degree, but these boys really do rock. I applied for the position after the regular season had ended and was chosen for the spot. We have 10 kids on our team that range from 8-10 years old, and all of them are full of life !! I mean practice is more like herding cattle most of the time in the sense that I am constantly trying to keep them all moving in one direction together without losing a stray one. I love the energy that the kids bring to the field when they are with me at practice, but I do sometimes wonder if what I am saying makes a difference to them. For instance, I try to start off practice with a quick quote to get them to think about something, but most of the time I just get blank stares back from them. If it's not blank stares then it is usually group punching, prodding, and tackling as I am speaking to them. What are you going to do though, because they are only 8 and 9 , and they are boys. I just roll with it and move on during the practices, but it does leave me wondering if what I am doing sometimes gets through to them.
Well, this past week one of the boys had a birthday on one of our practice days so I decided to give him a soccer ball that I had bought at the end of practice. I presented it to him in front of the whole team and had everyone sing happy birthday to him. I didn't think much of it the entire week until I was browsing through our mail one night only to find a card addressed to 'coach'. I opened it up and it went a little something like this:
'Pride fills my heart when I walk on the field to play soccer for you. I love the way you encourage us and you give us pins. When I look at you I feel confident like George Washington's men felt when they looked at him. I've made many friends on the team. The soccer ball is awesome. Thank you. '
That card meant more to me than anything I had received in all of my years of coaching. If nothing else, I had made one young man believe that whatever he set out to do on the soccer field he could accomplish. You don't get those type of letters or cards very often, but God sure does work in mysterious ways sometimes. I had spent quite a bit of time lately wondering how good a job I was doing with those boys, and here He comes right along as if to say , "You are agreat coach just the way you are !"
It doesn't matter how old you are, you never get tired hearing words of encouragement. My hope is that I can somehow make a difference everyday in their lives, and really help them all to realize that all things are possible if only you believe.

"I'll throw myself on the floor...."

There is nothing more frustrating to me than running into someone who is able to do for themselves yet tries to leech off of all those around them. So we are on a paramedic call the other day and this woman (late 60's) says that she can't take care of herself anymore because she was too weak to do anything for herself. So we began to assess her, asking her this and that to find out what was going on to know best how to handle the situation. She is talking just fine with us, has perfect vitals , and at one point gets up and walks back to her apartment for a moment before returning. You see, she was at a neighbor's apartment during all of this because she had made her way over there somehow to ask for help. The neighbor had become concerned because of what the patient had been telling her so she called 911. So we have yet to find a single thing wrong with this woman, but she tells us that she can no longer buy any food for herself nor can she even dial her phone because of her overwhelming weakness.

At this point I suddenly flashed back to a couple of weeks ago when she called 911 because she could not find her anxiety pills during one of her anxiety attacks. We showed up at her apartment only to find her in a tizzy because she can't figure out where she last put the pills. So six of us searched around her apartment until we found them for her and then were on our way.

Now, sitting with her again in her neighbor's apartment for the second time I am feeling a little less compassion for her. So I ask her why she can't get food anymore, and she tells me that she is unable to walk to get food. Her nice neighbor has offered her a sandwich which she has prepared, and our patient is being cared for at the moment. I then ask her why she can't get to food since the dining hall at her complex is only 100 yards away and they offer delivery service for residents.
"I know they offer service, and I've used it before'" she tells me.

So I am thinking to myself why is this woman now at her neighbors house asking for a sandwich if food can be delivered to her.

"I've used the service before and it costs $3 for delivery," she adds.

"Could you maybe walk down the hall to eat at the dining hall then," I add?

"I am too weak to even walk anymore," she chimes back.

"You seem to be walking okay to me because you just walked down the hall to your apartment and back," I say.

"No, that's not possible."

Ohhh.. so it is totally clear to me now what is going on. "Could you run down to the dining hall and pick me up a meal," she then asks her neighbor?

WHAT THE FRICK !!!

She also looks over at us and tells us that her phone service is shut off as of today because she is too weak to dial up the company to pay her bill. So I am really starting to put it all together now on my end because I am special like that!! She informs us that she wants us to call her cell phone company for her to pay her bill so her phone service will get turned back on. With sandwich in hand she thrusts the phone at my partner, and he then begins to look up the number to call for her.

Stop the music !! The fun times are no more on my end !! Time to reel this wild pony in !!

"Mam, you need to be doing these things for yourself," I said.

She replies back as she leans forward in her chair face in hands, "I am putting on a good show for you right now because I am really sick. I am just trying to act normal for you right now because I don't want the attention."

Yea right..and don't have gas 99% of the day !!

Then I said, " you are perfectly fine, and I don't want you to ask you neighbor to do this for you again. We are not going to call the cell company for you because I know you can do it on your own. We wrote down the number for you and all you have to do is call them and give them your card to pay for your bill."

She then pulls out the ace in the hole and says, " I am about to throw myself on the floor right now and have a seizure !!"

Note to self !! Don't laugh at this point.

So I refrain as best as I can and say in as non-sarcastic a voice that I can muster, " well, that wouldn't be good for you. "

Big smile !!

Instead of getting mad I thought that I should inject a little humor...okay, maybe sarcasm into the mix.

Nothing but stares on her end. Not a word, not even a grunt!! Just a long , deep stare from her end. The kind of stare in the animal kingdom that separates the alpha female's from all of the rest. So I tilt my head slightly to the side , like a dog as he is first trying to figure out an unusual noise, and just stare back.

This is a stand off in Tombstone and I'm not backing down !! In my head, I hear a faint whistle off in the distance to the soundtrack of The good, the bad, and the ugly !! I've brought the guns today , and I'm ready for a showdown with the Ice Princess.

We are at an impasse and neither one of us is going to budge. She ,determined to stay in her suck the life out of all those around her mode, and I, in my gunslinger pose.

So I pick up the equipment that we had with us, and I then ask her, "Is there anything else that we can do for for you mam?"

She then quips, " I guess we are done here !!"

Yes.....we....are !!!

Don't ever have those around you do what you can do for yourself !! The people around you may put up with it for a while, but at some point in time you will run into your own Doc Holiday !! He'll look you right in the eyes and tell you, "I'll be ya' Huckleberry !!"