Is that what it says on the Box?

I was watching Mythbusters tonight (a repeat) where the scene is Adam and Jamie learning about the force of water and ability of humans to escape a car falling into a lake or other body of water.

In the process of their investigation of this myth they learned about a window breaking tool, invented to help a human escape such an unfortunate event. They tried tapping the driver's door with this specially made hammer, and without any effort or a "second take", the window neatly shattered.

Jaime and Adam just looked at each other, and Jamie said, "Wow, that was easy. Just like the box said." How often does that happen?

I wish we could say that about our political agenda these days (USA), or concerning the way business is conducted for the masses. It seems that we have so many people greedy for their own good that nobody takes the time to see the simple steps in life. What if each of these influential people asked, "Where can I do the most good for the people I affect, in the most unobtrusive manner, while maintaining a pleasant and consistent relationship within those confines?" (e.g. work, home, church, etc)? Instead of "what's in it for me?" could we ask "what's in it for all of us and can it be improved?"

An example of what I'm talking about is the recent Harvard Business Review which talks about a list of Breakthrough Ideas for 2008. Think about some of these titles (I've listed only a few below, so here's the web site if you'd like to peruse the entire article):

• How Honest People Cheat
• Lies, **** Lies, and Lie Detectors
• Sick Transit Gloria
• The Cybercrime Service Area
• My Blackberry Ate My Accountability
• What Good are Experts

..and the list continues.

If you had no idea what this list was about, and just read the titles, would you feel that the goal was to meet consumer needs and promote Business for the common good?

While the article titles draw the reader, and does have some very innovative, challenging ideas, do we have to point everyone in a negative direction to make our point?

Let's just follow the simple, basic instructions on the box:


Use an indoor voice.
Listen when someone is speaking.
Wait your turn to share ideas.
Treat others with kindness.
Follow directions.
The only thing that belongs in your mouth is edible food.
Keep your hands to yourself.
Don't take other peoples belongings.
Say Please and Thank You.
Clean up your own mess
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together
Play fair

All chalked up again to two basic rules:

• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Love your neighbor as yourself.

Believe me, those instructions, albeit rooted in Biblical principles, actually work, the first time, without a glitch. Amazing!

May I please E-mail my Doctor?

An impassioned health care provider, at Efficient MD, wrote a great article, essentially E-mail my Doctor talks about how helpful working on a global plan to communicate in the health care industry will help patients and providers alike.

Yes, Yes, Yes!! I am a health care professional, who relates to this article fervently.

I work in a health care organization which has an internal “system” of e-mail, of which the user must laboriously register, await a lengthy password ad nausea via snail mail, and then switch the password to something memorable. Finally, the job of trying to utilize the site working around the inevitable flaws, which are difficult to overcome, given limited support site resources.

Let’s face it: Someday, the medical world will be globally connected, and communication between physicians, specialists, health professionals and ancillary staff, as well as our patients, will be seamless. Let’s just start with e-mail, and see how this goes.

My Professional Bio

I have been a registered nurse (RN) for nearly 18 years, and have worked in a variety of arenas. In inpatient hospital care, I practiced acute care nursing in critical care, medical-surgical, ortho, mother-baby units, and even worked per diem in the hospital, along with being an agency RN for multiple hospitals in the local metropolitan region I lived in at the time.
In long term care (LTC), I've been a restorative nurse educator, resident care manager, and a non-skilled LTC nursing director. I pulled one small LTC facility out of state deficiency in 2 months, had to hire/fire staff, and learned quickly that my love for geriatrics was being squelched by the endless state paperwork trails, rules, regulations, etc. that a nurse in long term care wades through each shift to take care of a few elderly residents.
I did enjoy coordinating restorative care, working with physical therapists and restorative aids, setting up restorative programs for the elderly residents, and helping families support their loved ones.
My next arena was in home health care. I thoroughly enjoyed this, as it allowed for a generous expansion of my nursing knowlege and practice, along with opportunities to educate the community in preventative health care, wellness, and managing acute and chronic illness. I think I learned the most form my patients in this arena. I touched a lot of lives 1:1 and they touched mine.
I then was introduced to ambulatory care, and fell in love with telephone triage services. This has been my true love since around 1992, and I've been doing it regularly since about 1995.
My background in the many arenas which built my career over this time served to provide me with invaluable experience and today I can honestly say, by God's grace, I'm an expert in telephone advice, community health education, and chronic disease management. I aspire to get a Masters in Nursing Education & possibly Health Care Administration as well. Currently, rearing a young family, I'm fulfilling my calling as a mom first, and then I'll will decide if God still has my dream in His sites, and I'll go from there.

Currently, I'm an aspiring blogger, and hope my expertise will help open other's minds about the available resources and guidelines to accentuate one's own health and well-being.

I thought this would prove helpful in outlining my professional background. For a time a few years ago, I served as a health expert on a site then called "AskMe.com". I think it is called something else now, but I certainly found the challenges of this small volunteer experience to stretch me in using all that I've attained in the many arenas of nursing I've been exposed to since graduating with a BSN at IWU. Of course, being a mom of three has stretched me as a nurse as well, as many of you parents can probably relate.
As I develop Right Turn - Your Turn, I hope you will expand my horizons, sharing with me what my readers find most fascinating about health and medical care.

Lesser or Greater Jihad? Evil has no boundary

After reading this article, you will want to read "In the Presence of my Enemies." You will learn with clarity just how incoherent, illogical and deceptive the practice of jihad is amongst friends and terrorist groups of Osama bin Laden. This is a autobiography of Grace Burnham and her husband's nightmare in the Philippines while spending the year 2001 kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group with ties to Osama bin Ladan. You will understand after reading this book why the Sacramento parents are so concerned about the history being fed their children. It is extremely important that Americans remember that evil has no boundary, and the jihad has no give-up point.

Marriage-Keep Tying Knots

Marriage is composed of not just "tying the knot" but rather an ongoing process of tying knots. My husband wrote a wonderful article on this back in June 2006. He writes "Marriage is tying a knot. Every time you do things together you tie another knot. These knots are what bind you together. Sharing in all things can tie a series of knots.... " " The ultimate goal is to tie more knots then those who are diligently working to untie them. You may have a problem if you look forward to doing activities separately instead of together. Subtle things like "Guys/Girls Night Out" or stopping off for a drink after work, slowly work at untying a knot. A subtle positive activity could be as simple as going grocery shopping or taking a walk with your Significant Other--namely your Spouse. The significant part should be foremost in your mind during these minor activities.Relationships are an investment. Your wife/husband is the biggest investment in your life. You put everything into this person from surface stuff to what is deep down. In return this person has invested as heavily in you. The returns on this investment include a partnership built on trust, intimacy, friendship, compassion and loyalty. Each of you will look for ways to please and uplift the other, tying knots and increasing the investment. If you are reading this and think that you are down to your last knot, perhaps you need to step back and think about what you can do to tie another knot. Set up a date with your spouse. Plan a local activity that includes conversation with your spouse. We found a local waterfall as the ideal place to sit, talk and share. We still reflect on this fondly even though we have moved from the area. No need for lavish events that cost vast amounts of money. The goal is to spend quality time with each other. Staying local is also preferred as these activities can be repeated and help strengthen the knot. Local activities reduce planning and preparation and allow you to focus on each other. Share each others past childhood memories and family dynamics. These will help you understand your partner's hopes and dreams and how they became the person you love. Conversations of the past generally come easy and will allow you to build toward conversations of the future. Your daily existence becomes a safe haven when you are working together toward a future that serves your combined hopes and dreams. Does this mean I can't do anything away from your spouse? Of course not. You are free to do things separately but your goal should be to do as much together as reasonably possible. When you do things apart you should share the highlights with your loved one so they gain a better understanding of who you are. Real issues and serious problems may need counseling to work them out. There is nothing wrong with seeking advice; if it really matters, it is worth every effort."

I hope this encourages you to tie one more knot today, and if you find that knot coming undone, spend some more time with your loved one, seeking to "learn how to retie" the bind that holds you together as a couple.

My husband and I work hard to keep the communication flowing. Sometimes this is quite difficult, and as you encounter more outside forces (relatives, children, work and job stresses, moves, defeats, illness or deaths), you will find that having one or more knots keeps you climbing the rope and at the top is the equivalent of heavenly bliss. After all, marriage is the image of God and the Church, His Bride. This is the epitome of bliss--God as our husband, and Heaven as our eternal bliss. To God be the Glory.

Etch-A-Sketch Sin

I enjoyed my church service today, as the pastor had a unique illustration about God's grace and sin. He established that most of our congregation still remembers the classic toy "Etch-A-Sketch" (still available, but not as widely recognized today), and then said something like this: "Our sins are written as if displayed on an Etch-A-Sketch. You can do all kinds of writing, drawing, doodling on an Etch-A-Sketch. No matter how artistic, how geometric, or how raw the scribble, it remains your own masterpiece [in this example, your own sin, etched in your life].
The devil would like to keep your mind pinned on the sin you've experienced all your life, until your "Etch-A-Sketch is so messy, so scratched up, it ceases to function as it once did. However, God's grace simply turns your life upside down, inside out, and gently and completely erases sin from your life." We call this experience being "born again" or "brand new" in evangelical Christian circles.

I was reminded at how simple it is to God, to erase our sins, yet how hard it is for us to give them up. We are like the little children who stare at the well-worn Etch-A-Sketch, seeing the faint lines from their prior drawing, and wanting it back, after it has been clearly wiped off the screen. We are so stubborn to literally "turn it over to God." Yet, His Grace, is gentle, simple, and patiently waits for us to receive it. It isn't a payment, it isn't a reward, and it isn't even a gift we can give ourselves. Pastor Robinson reminded us today "God's Grace can only be given and received with an open heart." In essence, it has to be chosen by free will.

I hope as you enter this week, you will be reminded of the many times God has patiently waited for your free will, to direct your daily existence, piece by piece. He's faithful and never ever gives up on you.