Life's lessons...

Having avoided going back to school for ten years, I have just begun the journey of attaining a Master’s degree. Relearning the actions of medicines, at a molecular / cellular level, while working and raising a family, is challenging to say the least. It is a lot of difficult, dry reading that basically requires me to re-read paragraphs three or four times before I begin to understand it. I have a feeling that I’m only scratching the surface, which is frustrating. I’m quite positive that anyone who has worked towards a higher degree can relate and I have gained a whole new respect for them.

Frustrated with memorizing the details of the lessons, I was complaining to a co-worker that I don’t want to just memorize this stuff – I want to understand it.

A nursing student, sitting nearby, overheard our conversation and asked if he could explain it to me. This led to several conversations between us, where the student became the teacher.

Impressed with his knowledge, I commented about the level of organic chemisty taught in nursing school today. Turns out, he is a trained physician, new to our country, learning a new career in nursing. I questioned him about his path here. I learned about the years he spent practicing medicine in other countries and found out that he is happy for the opportunity he has to work in the medical field here in the USA; even though it means years of learning things he already knows.

His story was inspiring and I began to wonder how much we don’t know about our co-workers. How many of us don’t bother to ask each other about the paths we all took to come to work at Memorial West.

Many, myself included, are locally born and raised with deep roots within this community. A vast majority, however, have lived a lifetime elsewhere; coming from lands far away to raise their families here. We have much to learn about each other.

Working together, one weekend day, my co-workers and I were joking about how I was the only one present that wasn’t born on an island. The countries of Jamaica and the Phillipines were represented well that day. But this cultrual diversity is never negative. It is to be celebrated. I am blessed that many of my co-workers have taken it upon themselves to introduce me to foods and fruits I would have never had the opportunity to taste and love. I am truly grateful for each of them as they all have a unique story about how they came to live in Florida.

The point is… how much about our co-workers do we really know?

When we are at work, we have the wonderful opportunity to learn about cultures and traditions. Educating ourselves, about each other, goes beyond finding out who will relieve us for our lunch break. It is the element that turns strangers into friends.

Open up about yourself. Share your own life stories and listen closely when others tell theirs. You just might be surprised, as I was with the nursing student, at what you’ll learn when you take the time to be interested in someone else’s life story.