Some Important Lessons Life Teaches You…
First Important Lesson- All are Important:
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. Just 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.
Second Important Lesson~ Pickup in the Rain-To Serve Others
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 and
helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry but wrote down his
address and thanked him. 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 also 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.
Third Important Lesson ~ Always remember those who serve you.
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?” he
asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The
little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain
dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting
for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.” The
little boy again counted his 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 left.
When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped
down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty
dish, were two nickels and five pennies – You see, he
couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have
enough left to leave her a tip.
Fourth Important Lesson ~ 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 stone out of the way. Then a peasant came
along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon 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.
After 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 of us never
understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to
improve our condition.
Fifth Important Lesson ~ Giving When it Counts
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
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. Thedoctor
explained the situation to her little brother, and
asked the little 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 her.” 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 little boy had
misunderstood the doctor he thought he was going to
have to give his sister all of his blood in order to
save her. You see understanding and attitude, after
all, is everything.
“Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
and Dance like you do when nobody’s watching.”