All of this from a FALL…

I share our Nana’s story for three reasons:

To Remind Everyone to Put Safety first!!
Falling is the leading cause of unintentional injury at home among Americans 65 and older. Older people sustain such injuries by stumbling on stairs; slipping in bathtubs; falling off ladders and step stools; and tripping over garden hoses, dog leashes, and household appliance cords. Nana fell in a parking lot…

To Remind Everyone to Talk to your family about your wishes!!! What do you want if:
Your heart stops beating or you have a lethal arrhythmia: Do you want someone to try to get your rhythm back by performing compressions or shocking your heart with a defibrillator?
You quit breathing: Do you want to be intubated and placed on a breathing machine?
You are not able to eat: Do you want to sustain your life with feeding tubes?
Your kidneys shut down: Do you want to have dialysis

To Remind Everyone each day is a Gift!!!
We are not promised tomorrow so…Grab every opportunity you have to tell your family and friends how much you love them.

Have you ever noticed how someone can walk into the room and the entire atmosphere can change?

I remember one instance when this occurred…Huge Lesson Learned!!!

I was working in an ICU unit and every bed held a patient. Although we were full, the day was pleasant and was without much drama or crisis. The phone rang and I was asked to help with a special procedure that was being performed in a different department. So, because everything was “calm” and “under control”, I told my co-worker I was going to help with a procedure and I would be right back. I left the unit and assisted with the procedure which took all of 15 minutes.

When I returned to the ICU what I found was UNBELIEVABLE!!! Total chaos had taken over the ICU…Call bells going off, family members at the nurses station, and the noise level was off the chart. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw my co-worker running around frantically in a panic.

Suddenly I realized what happened…Because I was being pulled away from the unit, my co-worker went into a complete panic and her panic had permeated the entire ICU unit…

I walked over to her. Told her to take a deep breath, grab a Coke and leave the unit for a break. Once she left the ICU, I took a deep breath and said a very brief prayer and made my way through the unit room by room…Tucking patients in speaking words of peace and calm over the patients with a pleasant and assuring smile. Within about 10 minutes a hush fell over the place.

My co-worker returned and was totally amazed at the transformation which had taken place in her absence. She asked me what had happened. I took the opportunity show her how her panic had permeated the entire ICU in the 15 minutes I was gone. I also was able to teach her how to reign in her emotions, take control of situations, and promote peace over her patients and thus the entire ICU.

There have been other times I have witnessed this occur…sitting in meetings where everyone is smiling, making contributions to solutions to issues, and interacting in a healthy and professional manner. Then, an individual having a rough day can walk into the room and squelch all team productivity and change the entire tone of the meeting.

Have you noticed this in your home. A family member comes in after a hard, emotional, or trying day? They can walk in the door and the entire atmosphere changes. What do you do?

Recognize what is going on
Hold on to your peace and do you allow your peace to be disturbed or your attitude to take a downward trend
Pray over your home and ask God’s protection over your home
Pray for the person struggling

Emotions are contagious, negativity, anxiety, and discord in your home can be prevented with prayer, education, and persistence. Finally…

DO NOT EXPOSE YOURSELF TO THE CONTAGIOUS NEGATIVE EMOTIONS OF OTHERS…

Think about it…why do you want to surround yourself with negativity? IT IS CONTAGIOUS!!! Evaluate the people you choose to surround yourself with. Choose your friends wisely or encourage them to change their attitude.

I remember when a nurse in the ER came in one day and I told her “Good Morning”. Her response was “What’s so good about it?”. I took the opportunity to tell her I had made the decision to remove negative people from my life. I also said, “You know, I like you and really want to be your friend so you are going to have to be a more positive person if you want to be my friend”. Suddenly, the decision was hers. From that day forward, she has never said another negative phrase or word to me.

Let your peace radiate into the world. Then the world becomes a more peaceful place one person at a time.