Roll With It
by Val Leichtman
Sitting in an uncomfortable, hard chair, facing the foot of the bed, all I see at first is black-socked feet below a hospital gown. I hear some intermittent beeping and slight groans of pain. A woman wearing green scrubs with her long brunette hair pulled back appears and talks to the patient for a moment. He replies, “This wasn’t part of my plan.”
And then he laughs . . .
The beeping is drowned out as the other sounds begin to take over. Bert smiling despite his pain as he cracks a joke at Serg’s expense from his bed. Serg’s loud, joking response as he leans over to playfully smack Bert on the leg. Alexa laughing despite herself while she’s on the phone rescheduling a business meeting. Sabrina putting her two cents in and ending it with her infectious giggle. The hospital room is transformed into a family get-together and staff meeting, laughing and planning sales tactics for our company, BOWAworld.
I have to admit, I am a sincere type A personality. I like things planned well in advance and I like all my bases covered. I’m not a fan of surprises and I often stress myself out to the point of tears . . . somehow, despite these short-comings, the crazy, spontaneous Bert and Alexa, the patriarch and matriarch of the BOWAfamily, adopted me and welcomed me in with open arms. And I’m so grateful that they did. Each day, I learn something new from them.
Today, sitting in that hospital room, I saw by example how to roll with the punches and not allow situations and circumstances keep you from your goal. As Bert stated, being hospitalized for an infection was not part of his plan, but neither he nor Alexa are allowing themselves to fall into self-pity or despair. Both are still making the best of where they are, making time for family and still following up with business. They’re just moving forward.
That’s why these two people have my respect and my unfaltering loyalty. They are continually teaching me through their actions, not their words alone. They’re not perfect, but they’re genuine.
JUN