FIVE GREAT LESSONS
The Important Things Life Teaches You...
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop
quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions,
until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the
school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman
several times. She was tall, dark-
haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper,
leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the
last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people.
All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello'. "I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned
her name was Dorothy.
PICKUP IN THE RAIN
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the
side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had
broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to
flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped
her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big
hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and drove away. Seven days went
by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color
TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you
so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not
only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was
able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole
ALWAYS REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVE
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered
a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in
front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?"
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of
his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain
ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the
waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said brusquely. The
little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain
ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the
table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and
departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and
then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty
dish, were two nickels and five pennies her tip.
THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid
himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along
carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid
down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally
succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse
lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold
coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who
removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others
never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's
condition.
GIVING BLOOD
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to
know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious
disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from
her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to
combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother,
and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I
saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,
"Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz." As the
transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all
did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his
smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,
"Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was
going to have to give his sister all of his blood.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.