While I’m waiting for my sweet breads to boil, I thought I’d take a minute and post up something that I have been thinking about for a while.

It was back in the mid 70’s I think, when Dad was going through open heart surgery.  Back then it was a big ordeal and not too many surgeries had been conducted.  A doctor in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the LDS Hospital was “The Go To Doctor” and his name was Nelson.  I think he is a high up in the LDS Church now, but anyway, he was “the man”.  Dad needed a replacement valve and they were experimenting with one that worked like a carburetor choke valve (flutter valve).  So Dad went in and had the operation.  I was the worst day in our lives.

While the whole family sat out in the waiting area, the hours ticked by slowly.  We had plenty of time on our hands sitting there waiting and waiting.  None of us wanted to leave Mom sitting there by herself and so there we all sat filling up the ever so small room.  I remember as we sat there it must have been around 1 a.m. and in came a group of 3 people all sad and crying.  Obviously a mom, dad and a daughter, the sibling boy had been in a very bad car wreck and was in emergency surgery.  As I sat there not trying to be obvious and stare at them, I could not help but over hear their conversations about the boy and how broken hearted they were that this terrible accident had happened to him and to them and how on earth would they ever get things back in order in their lives.  It was the worst day of their lives.

A few hours passed by and in the mean time another couple came in, again in tears, there had been another accident and their daughter was involved, thrown from the vehicle and was in very bad condition.  Just like the threesome ahead of them, they were in tears and holding onto one another for comfort.  It was the worst day of their lives.

The room was filled with all of us and each thinking of our own worst day and hoping for the best.  I was about 23 at the time and hadn’t really done much in the way of philosophical thinking, but as I stood and paced around in that room and the adjacent area I got to thinking about something and that something has stuck with me ever since.  I’m sure some of you have heard me say it a time or two as well.

So, here are three different families, all together in one spot, each with our own cares and worries and when you analyze each of our situations, you have to wonder which one has it the worst?  We have our husband and father, stretched out in an operating room with the best heart doctor in the State, and maybe in the country or world for all I know.  It’s a planned ordeal with all the stops and plans made well in advance.  We have all been briefed on the surgery and we know everything that is going to take place.  The old valve will be removed and this new stainless steel one will be placed and fixed so it will work properly and dad will once again be able to do the physical things he wants to do like he used to before his heart plugged up with good old fat.  The others have been forced to come to the hospital in the middle of the night because of accidents.  The on call doctors in the emergency room probably know just what has to be done under most every circumstance and are probably very good at what they are doing.  But it’s the uncertainty of it all, especially with emergency things like automobile accidents.  Anything can be wrong with the injured person, from the most obvious cuts and broken bones, to the internal bleeding issues.  Can these doctors discover these things before the person dies?

Just before daylight, a doctor comes in and asks if there are people who are there concerned about accident patient number one.  The threesome get up and approach the doctor.  He speaks quietly to them and tells them what they had found and what will be happening next and that they would not be able to see him until he gets out from under the anesthesia and will be in the intensive care unit.  They are relieved to think he is alive and should recover fully.  They thanked the doctor and then left the room to go and get some coffee down stairs while they wait to be able to go and see him in ICU.

Shortly, another doctor came out and asked if there were people waiting to hear on patient number two.  When the couple stood and approached him, he slowly walked them out of the room and down the hall.  We never saw them again and it is assumed the girl died.

So, now who is having the worst day of their lives?  And this is where I came up with my philosophy:  No matter how bad you think you have it, whatever “it” is, just look at the person(s) next to you.  THEY have it BAD!  What you have is nothing in comparison and trust me when I say this; They wish they had your problem.

So, when you look in the mirror and see a bulging stomach, or at the scale under your feet and see the numbers are higher than you wish they were, there is someone, lots of someones out there, that wish they had your problem.  You don’t have it that bad.

Now I’ll get back to my sweet breads!

Bears Butt

April 26, 2014