Five Great Lessons
The Important Things Life Teaches You.................
1. 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.
2. 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 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
3. 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 if coins in
it.
"How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he asked.
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.
4. 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.
5. 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 need 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. He 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 misunderstood the doctor;
he thought he was going to have to give his sister all
his blood.