Glimpses of Excellence – A Beautiful Bloom

Hospitals are unique places – in both positive and negative ways.  I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals the past couple of years due to an ongoing family medical situation and those experiences have given me so many Glimpses of Excellence to share…. Here’s one of them..

One afternoon recently, I stepped into a hospital elevator and smiled at the young woman inside.  She seemed quiet, pleasant, and….tired.  I saw on her badge that she worked for the hospital food service, pushing a loaded warmer cart to deliver meals to hundreds of patients – then returning afterwards to their rooms to pick up all the empty trays and dishes.  I thought about how tired she must be at the end of her work day and wondered how many steps registered routinely on her FitBit.

“You have a hard job”, I commented.   “Oh no, I have an easy job.” she said quickly, smiling sweetly….then her smile slowly faded and she became visibly thoughtful.  “Well, actually sometimes it’s really hard going into some of those rooms”, she said quietly.  

I pondered her words for the rest of the day….realizing how very hard that could be…..  Her quiet comment made me thoughtful. I’m often a tiny bit nervous walking into a room where strangers are present.  I might even pause, collect myself, and take a breath before opening the door. This young lady not only has to brace herself to walk into a room full of strangers over and over every day….   She faces much greater difficulties – because she is walking into rooms where people are very sick,  perhaps dying, some all alone with no family or friends…. It would be a difficult thing to face….but she does it over and over every single day.

It also made me think about Irene.  Irene and her sister Miss. B clean rooms on the hospital wing where my mother was a patient for many weeks this year.  Irene is a rare gem, a bright glimpse of excellence, who faithfully does her job day after day, facing the same challenges as the young lady I met in the elevator. She is a tiny little thing with a bright smile and a big voice. She does her job well, cleaning with diligence and dedication – noticing details and always doing her best. She doesn’t just mop the floor – she scrubs it clean. That hospital room always felt so much better when she was finished – cleaner, brighter, and even more hopeful and cheerful.

That, in itself, is a wonderful example of excellence – but Irene always does so much more. First of all, she diligently makes it a point to learn the patient’s names, as well as family members who stay with them.  That’s no small task!  She learned not only my Mother’s name, but mine, our friends, and our family members who visited as well! Irene greeted us with sincere warmth each time she saw us. Every single day when she entered Mother’s hospital room, she would enthusiastically exclaim,  “Hello, Mrs. Jean!  How are you today?” with her beautiful accent and a broad smile on her face.  She would greet me as well (by name!) and would remember details of past conversations, following up on discussions, sharing her own life, and showing  genuine interest in and concern for both of us. We looked forward to her visits every day.

 There is an old saying I love that says to “bloom where you are planted”. Irene is definitely blooming – and like all beautiful flowers she is brightening the lives of many, providing beauty, encouragement, strength, and joy.

We should all try to do the same.

Thank you, Irene.  I am very grateful for the care you showed and the encouragement you provided.  I will never forget you.

Glimpses of Excellence – A Green Checkmark

the green checkmark

Excellence can come in so many different forms….I heard a sermon once from one of my favorite pastors that talked about the excellence involved in returning your shopping cart to the cart corral when you are finished with it. I liked that – because it’s such a simple thing to do that truly does show care and respect for others. As we’ve all heard so often, sometimes it’s the little things…

Last month, my mother and I arrived at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for a busy day of appointments. Medical days can be tiring, stressful, and a bit overwhelming. When we finished our third appointment of the day, the doctor left and his nurse, Ryan, came in to walk us through the information (new medications, upcoming appointments, general facts, best practices, etc.) – all the things we would need to know in the days and weeks ahead. He discussed all of the points thoroughly, assuring us that he was also providing a printed copy of all the information we needed to take home, review, and reference. He thoughtfully provided not one but two neatly stapled identical packets – one for Mother and one for me – and we tucked them into our bags and hurried off to our next appointment.

While there, I received a call from Nurse Ryan, who said after consulting with others on the medical team, there had been some updates to the information packet after we left. He said he had reprinted two new copies and would be leaving them at the patient desk for us to pick up at our convenience. “I put a green checkmark on the first page of each of the new packets”, he said. “That way, when you get home you will know which to keep and which to throw away.”

A green checkmark… it seems like such a small thing, but I have thought a lot about this simple act, this choice he made to go above and beyond, several times since that day. When I emptied out my bag after returning home, there were many papers and leaflets collected throughout our visit – information I wanted to read and study, leaflets I was interested in scanning, and the packets of neatly stapled printed information we needed to keep. Tossing the original packets in the trash, I began reading through the updated packet – the one with the neat, circled green checkmark on the top. That small detail – that quick action – communicated caring, diligence, and even comfort.

Sometimes it IS the little things that matter the most.

Glimpses of Excellence – at my local Chick-Fil-A

Many years ago, I decided that someday I would write a book and title it “Glimpses of Excellence”…..but I’ll tell you more about that in another blog on another day. I’m getting a little ahead of myself…

Even though I’m off work right now for Christmas break, I’ve stayed quite busy. Despite all the demands of the day, I have been allowing myself the wonderful luxury of sleeping in late….until this morning…

I set my alarm to wake up early today, because I had an early morning appointment about 50 miles from home. I’ll be honest, mornings are definitely not my best time – I’m much more of a night owl – so anytime I have to get up and about early it’s a bit of a challenge for me. (Okay, probably a big challenge!) Still, I made it out the door just a few minutes past the goal I had set for leaving, got settled in the car, and ordered breakfast on my Chick-Fil-A app. (I absolutely love their breakfast bowls!) Thinking it might save time, I chose inside pickup rather than drive-through, clicked the final “submit” on the order, and headed off to meet the day.

There were beautiful clouds in the skies this morning – not fluffy white pillows in a bright blue sky, but slowly rolling dark shadows crowded together against a muted, blue-gray canvas.

cloudy skies

When I arrived at Chick-Fil-A and parked, rain had just started sprinkling down. The parking lot was full, and the restaurant was busy. My mind was also busy – thinking about my goals for the day, planning my schedule, and mentally listing tasks needing completion. As I hopped out of the car to rush in and get my order, the skies opened up and the rain started pelting down. Dashing inside the restaurant, I was greeted warmly by an employee who was standing near the front door. “Do you have an umbrella?” the young man asked. “No, I didn’t bring one with me – didn’t know it was going to rain today!” I replied over my shoulder as I walked over to pick up my waiting order. While I did, he calmly walked into the entryway, unlocked a small closet, and took out an oversized umbrella. As I hurried back toward the front door, he said “I’ll walk you to your car.” Stepping out in the rain, he held the umbrella more over me and my breakfast order than over himself. Smiling as I jumped into the car, I called out a quick but sincere thank-you as he turned and headed back to the restaurant.

You know what? That small act of unexpected kindness made my day! My busy morning was brightened considerably because this young man went the extra mile to show concern for me….because he put out extra unrequested effort to make my day better. What a wonderful glimpse of excellence!

That act of kindness has stayed in my thoughts all day because it was significant to me. It was over and beyond what I would have expected, it was very impressive, and it made a difference. It touched my heart! I wonder what simple opportunities I miss to help others, to show kindness, to make a positive impact? In what ways can I show excellence? I’m going to try to work on that!