Category: Soapbox

We Choose Our Priorities

Posted on by Pete Schloss

I was recently reminded of a series of events that occurred some years ago. These events present a lesson in how we view and act upon what is “really important”.

A school nurse was confronted with an emergency involving one of her students. The student (of divorced parents) had become seriously ill and was exhibiting respiratory distress secondary to a severe allergic reaction. The nurse administered first aid to stabilize the child and called for an ambulance. The nurse then called the child’s mother and informed her of the unfolding events. The ambulance arrived and the child was turned over to the care of the EMT’s who rushed to the hospital. The child responded well to the treatment and the episode would have ended there with a “they lived happily ever after” conclusion. Except…
The following day the child’s father arrived at school and asked to see the nurse. When he entered her office he unleashed a tirade upon her for her failure to call him. When he paused to take a breath the nurse interrupted to ask, “Sir, isn’t it enough that I responded efficiently and professionally to render aid to your child? Isn’t it enough that I stabilized her and called for emergency assistance? Isn’t it enough that you can still enjoy the company of your child and that a tragedy was averted?”
The Father continued his criticism of her failure to call him, never once expressing any gratitude for the life that she had protected. He concluded with the assertion that he intended to report her to the school authorities. She asked him to please do so, and the meeting ended.

We choose our priorities. The nurse chose to intervene and (possibly) save a life. The ambulance EMT’s chose to respond to the 911 call. The hospital emergency room staff chose to continue to minister to the needs of the child. Divorced or separated parents may choose not to notify each other of their child’s emergency. Finally, the father chose to criticize the nurse’s failure to call both parents, and he also chose to withhold gratitude.

What were the motivations behind each participant’s priorities in this bit of real life drama. What are the lessons to be learned? Just asking…

Peace! Pete (Originally posted July 15, 2014)

We Have Liftoff!!!

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Recently, I have been largely silent on social media, but not idle. For many weeks I have been designing and implementing a new website. This is the third time that I have undertaken this foreign task. My first effort, over 15 years ago, was little better than a few pages of “stick figures”. My second served me well for the last 10 years, but it was time to make a change that more accurately reflects the shift in our focus, post retirement. This new site will be my venue and “voice” both on and off the road, while Facebook will remain my primary outlet for displaying pictures to my FB friends.

The site is not yet in perfect harmony with my expectations, however it is better than 90% the way there. I have purchased a “real camera” that I hope to make extensive use of. I have not yet worked on posting images with my “Thoughts” site, but there will be time to work out those bugs so that a few select images may occasionally appear with my “Thoughts”.

Your encouragements have provided me with the motivation to dedicate hundreds (literally!) of hours into working on this. I hope that it serves Christine and me, and thus all of you as well. I invite you to use the tool that I have included on the site to sign up for email notices of future posts.

-Peace! Pete

Resilient Women

Posted on by Pete Schloss

Some of you women know who you are. Many of you do not. Resilience is being able to withstand or recover from difficult conditions. Certainly, there are resilient men, and books have been written about resilient children. However, my focus is upon the resilience that I have observed and learned of in so many women that I have encountered here and throughout my life. You are women who have risen from the ashes of personal and family tragedies. You are women who have hit a wall in life and rather than stop, you have reinvented yourself and moved forward. You are women who have placed your personal goals second to those of another person, adjusting and adapting without complaint. You are women who have persevered.

Your resilience is not necessarily about being successful. Sometimes it is just about enduring. Enduring the patronizing words of a car salesman, or the dismissive attitude of a contractor. Enduring the distinction that when a woman raises her voice she is deemed “shrill”, or just a bitch, but when man does he is seen as strong and assertive. I have been told that it is having to work twice as hard as a man in order to receive 70% of the pay that he receives for the same job. It is listening to your brother being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, when most assume your sole ambition is to be a wife and a mother. You are an indispensable part of our political, business, and religious institutions which traditionally create headwinds, if not barriers, to your advancement. You endure and then you move on.

I see your resilience. If anything I have said resonates with your life experience then please take a moment to congratulate yourself… you are resilient.

Peace. Peter Schloss