Stay positive and help where you can

I enjoy my job because I have the opportunity to meet people and share their stories with our community.

Their stories may be about happy times or fun adventures, while others are sad or tragic. Throughout the years I’ve learned most of these people are positive about life.

Not everything that happens in life is good or positive, but many choose to look for something good in each situation.

My late father always told me it is not necessarily what happens in our lives, but how we handle the situation that matters.

I fell several weeks ago at home. It was a hard fall BUT I was able to get up and walk with the assistance of a borrowed cane.

I went to my Women Aware meeting, everyone was concerned, but I made my way on to work and was about to climb the stairs when a coworker stopped me and said, “You go to the doctor!”

Well, I did go to the doctor the next day. Since it didn’t happen at work, and I walked into the doctor’s office, I was able to talk my way out of an X-ray. The doctor did a physical exam, which I passed.

A week and about four days later when I returned to my doctor, I went straight to X-ray. I was soon in the emergency room being admitted to the hospital. Because of a prior health issue, the local specialist decided I needed to be transferred to a teaching hospital.

A couple of days later, I was heading north in an ambulance. It was still a few days before I had surgery, but I was soon heading back to Poplar Bluff for physical therapy rehab at a local nursing home.

I was able to deal with my “inconvenience” because I choose to remain positive, along with the support of my family and friends.

Fortunately, I was sent to St. Louis where the majority of my family lives. My niece was by my side and served as my advocate. Oh, did I forget to say, she’s a registered nurse. My daughter, a retired critical care paramedic, was unable to make the trip because of health issues. She and my niece consulted with each other. My daughter took over once I returned to Poplar Bluff.

My newspaper family, to me my coworkers are my family, was extremely supportive in every way. They visited, called, sent texts, cards and flowers. They knew once I was back in town, I needed, for my own well being, to work. They allowed me to do interviews on my cell phone, write on my laptop and email my stories.

I’m sharing my story because I want to let everyone know what you might think is small may really be big to someone dealing with an emergency in life.

One friend wanted to visit to talk about various issues. He called ahead to arrange a time and offered to bring food. I suggested he bring a “real a cup of coffee.” I so enjoyed the coffee, as well as the discussion.

Friends who visited brightened my life. Two brought a basket of goodies for the nursing home staff, which was special.

I had to miss one city council meeting because of the surgery. I struggled to figure out how to get to the meetings. I was delighted when I asked for help getting to meetings, and the police department offered to provide transportation.

The nursing home and physical therapy staff always were willing to make my life, as well as the other residents’ lives, as normal as possible. They allowed me to keep up with my volunteer commitments by allowing friends to pick me up.

Nothing is like being back at work, doing work interviews in person and driving myself to my volunteer activities.

Bottom line, work at keeping a positive attitude.

If you have an opportunity to call, text or take a friend a cup of coffee, and you think it is a small gesture, it might be the highlight of his or her day or week.