What is Your Attitude?

Last week was another one of those weeks where I am amazed at how much I learn in such a short time and of course…I learn from my patients…….

The first story is of a wonderful, full of life 96 year old woman. She had the most amazing sparkle in her eyes. She came to me in one of those scooters and could turn the thing on a dime. We had quite a discussion about life. She told me how frustrated she was with people her own age. (Keep in mind she is 96 years old!!) She complained that they were so behind the times, slow as Christmas and just didn’t know how to have fun.

She said that she had gone to a local seniors center to take some computer classes. She was appalled to know that they were only teaching how to read email. “who the hell doesn’t know how to read your damn email” she said! I asked her…well what did you want to learn? She wanted to learn how to get her html code right on her facebook page!!!

Imagine that! A 96 year old woman who not only knows how to read her emails, but also has a facebook page and wants to sort out her html!

I asked this dear old lady what keeps her kicking and kicking so well? What do you think she said?

ATTITUDE

If I were talking I would say it really loud. So loud that you could hear it a mile away. Yes…it is Attitude.

I know I have written this before. This thing about attitude. But when it comes from a woman who is 96 years old and can teach you about things like social networking….well ….it’s time to really listen!!

My next story is about a very tall, burly looking man with tattoos covering most of his body. He was about 6’5, probably around 300 lbs and kind of scary looking. If you saw him on the street you would probably just walk in a different direction. I was curious though. He too had this same twinkle in his eye. I have seen this twinkle in many people. It’s that twinkle that lets me know that there is something incredibly special about them. Something that will help many others.

So…….I decided I needed to talk about more than just why is his ankle hurting. I noticed his thigh. He obviously had many surgeries on that thigh. It looked as though his leg must have been chewed by a bear! So I asked…did you have some grafting surgeries on this leg…and that is where his story began.

He told me that he had lived a life of drugs and gangs. That is where all the tattoos come from. He said that he even carried a hand gun most of his life. He was at a point in his life where waking up from a stoned state was the normal day to day activity. It was so bad that when his fiancé needed emergency care he couldn’t even figure out how to dial 911.

That was a wakeup call for him. He decided that he needed to get cleaned up and the only way he knew how to do it was to enlist in the military. He did quite well in boot camp. Earned a name for himself for being very tough.

Then one day he found himself in battle. There was gunfire from all directions. Most of his troop had been caught in this surprise attack. He could here bombing and screaming all around. There was a very large explosion and he woke up to find himself lying on a gurney waiting for his turn for surgery. As they wheeled him to the surgeon the Doc told him he would probably never walk again.

This statement angered my patient. He told me he had never been so angry. Who has the right to tell him that he was never going to walk again. It was at that moment that he set in his mind his attitude for the rest of his life. NO ONE , he said, NO ONE will ever tell me what I can and cannot do. As he is telling me this part of the story I could see that look in his eyes. The look that tells you that this man means business. Nothing can stop him. From the deepest part of him he believes that NO ONE will ever tell him he cannot walk.

So the story went on. He had the surgery and laid in bed for only a couple of days. He refused the pain meds that were offered. He saw many other men around him with the same plight. But he still had his attitude. The day came when it was time to begin rehab. His wounds from the first few surgeries were healed. After a week or so of physical therapy my patient decided to take matters in his own hands. Security was called often because when they would come to get him for his therapy he was no where to be found. They would search and find him in the gym by himself. Going over the exercises. Over and over. The therapist would tell him that we will try the steps now. As soon as the therapist would turn his back my patient would go to the steps….but not the therapy steps, the steps that went to the top of the building!!

As you can imagine he kept security and all the Doctors and physical therapists busy. Within a couple of months he was walking with no issues. That is when he was approached by the doctors. They explained to him that he was a miracle. They asked him to speak to some of the other men that suffered the same plight but were not recovering as well. And so he did.

As the man was telling me this I could see him begin to weep. This giant man sat there in front of me weeping. But he was weeping tears of joy. He said that despite it all he was kept here on this earth. He said that God must have a reason for never letting me die. He said I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt my purpose on this earth is to help others.

I asked the man, what do you help others with? He said…."their ATTITUDE. My attitude got me through life so that God could work through me. I have a never give up ATTITUDE and I teach others the same."

So, we have two amazing people here one sitting in a scooter with an oxygen mask on, the other with a limp and a cane. Both with a mission to teach us about our attitude.

Remember this my friends, our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us. So have a check on your attitude and go and be as amazing as you really are!!

YOU ARE STRONG, BEAUTIFUL AND BRILLIANT …..Let your attitude reflect who you really are!!!

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