Thank you

I’m thankful on this Thanksgiving Day for so many things, but I must say I’m particularly thankful this year for being alive.  The heart attack September 12^th makes me realize how close I came to not being able to type this today.  I’ve been alive for nine weeks longer than I might have been.  That’s pretty darned scary.

If my co-worker hadn’t traded me shifts that morning, I might not have woken up.  Thankfully, I was awake early that Wednesday morning to get ready for work so I noticed each symptom as it happened.  And, if I hadn’t worked at the hospital Emergency Room, I might not have gone in to the hospital ER to get checked because the pain was not that bad, and yet I ended up as a Code Stemi.   If some instinct hadn’t prompted me to tell Matt to go to the nearest facility rather than the one which I knew dealt with heart attacks, I might not have made it.  If the RN hadn’t been finishing her night shift and instructed the staff to do the second EKG after the first one didn’t show anything, I might not be alive today.  So many factors came together that morning that I am truly humbled. 

Death isn’t a topic we ordinarily discuss, and to me, it sometimes seems surreal in the sense that I don’t realize how close to death some people truly are until too late.  People are here one minute and gone in a split second.  I’m never ready for it.  I wish I would have told them how much I loved them and how much I cared. 

 I keep thinking I’m only 60, so how could I have been so close to death.  I certainly don’t feel that old, but if I’m 60, I’m definitely not as young as I must think I am.   I feel like I have so many more things to do, and I don’t want my son and daughter to have to deal with loss.  I’d like my grandchildren and future grandchildren to know me, too.

I know that sounds selfish, but I never really knew my grandfathers (one died before I was born and the other one died when I was only six), and there was never enough time with my grandmothers.   So, I would like to develop a wonderful relationship and rapport with my grandchildren, as well as be there for my children as they start on their journeys through adulthood, as my parents were for me.  I like the concept of family.  I think family can be a wonderful and supportive part of life.

 

Was it coincidence or just a fluke I survived that day?  Does God have more plans for me?  Have I been given the chance to improve and become a better person?  What direction do I need to go?    I stop every now and then, and remind myself, I need to be even more appreciative of all the wonderful things in this life.  As so many others have discovered and said, “Live each day to its fullest,” and “Stop and smell the roses.”  Mankind has been trying to tell all of this for decades and centuries.

So on this Thanksgiving 2012, thank you to all the wonderful people in my life, everyone from family to friends, and people whose paths cross mine..  You are all a special part of me, and I am glad I can be a part of your lives.  You are what makes the sun shine for me.  And, thank you, God, in all your infinite wisdom, for all of your guidance and care.  Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.

Has He/She/It Gone Too Far? A Rose by Any Other Name Smells as Sweet!

This past month the University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill has deemed, in their infinite politically correct wisdom, that the term "freshman" is now banned from use on their campus.  All staff at UNC-CH are now required to use the term "first year student."  I think they've taken one step too far and crossed the proverbial line.

The term "freshman," used since 1590, was never intended to be used in a derogatory way, nor was it intended to be used to reflect gender-bias.  No one should take offense over the word used for centuries to describe a novice or beginning student.  Historically, mostly men attended university at one time, but don't modern day women realize they are equal, and can do whatever they wish, without all the hub bub?

People who have nothing better to do with their time but look for and create problems where none exist need to be sent to soup kitchens to work or should volunteer at such places like hospitals, schools, and community organizations so they can better use their time to be productive and help others in need.  If you find the word "freshman" so demeaning, you are appalled and offended, you have issues, and frankly, I'm tired of your whining over such trivial matters.  Get over it.

Perhaps we should use the term "freshwomanman" so it includes both sexes?  No?  You think it should be "freshmanwoman" as woman is the main word and you want to split hairs over who goes first?    Maybe we should just refer to them as "freshes."  As in grammar, we use the masculine form as it's simply easier than being so wordy with the whole he/she thing each time a writer uses the third person singular.

Why then don't you call these beginning students "novices" as that is one of the definitions for the word?  No, it sounds feminine and reminds you of a nunnery?  Oh, dear.  Since they are rather young students, should we call them "puppies"?  No, you don't like calling someone a dog?  Then how about a "luck," as a beginning student needs lots of luck to finish?  No, it's not luck but hard work and determination that makes a difference?

Okay, Okay, I've got it.  Let's simply call a first year student by the more modern term "noob"?   Or better yet, what about "abtaq"?  What?  That doesn't make sense?  Well, neither does all the complaining over a word that simply describes a beginning student, no matter what their sex is.  

Right-Left Brain Power

My son and I think differently.  It's the logical, engineering mind meets the creative, sociable mind.  When I started to open the dishwasher this week to unload it and do my share of kitchen-related tasks, my son piped up, "All the utensils are grouped together in the baskets so you can put them away easier." 

Sure enough, all the forks were hanging out in their own little baskets, all the large spoons were together, and so on.  The pre-planning made the putting-away a little easier.  There was no chronological order, however, in the sense that the utensils go in according to "arrival times," which enables the kitchen help to see when the dishwasher should be started because the last basket is full of dirty utensils.  I would never have thought of organizing them before I put them in.  His method would never have occurred to me.

I still prefer the chronological method with the sorting at the end rather than the beginning.  But isn't it amazing how differently we think to solve the same problem.  Different mindsets for different minds.  Who would have "thunk" it.