Category Archives: General

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Dedicated to Navy Corpsmen Everywhere!

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I use a great Gratitude App and every day there are quotes and images and usually they are quite pertinent to what’s going on in my life.

Today’s image was no exception…however, perhaps it would have been a good one for last Friday, Veterans’ Day….

That thought led to another – It’s something we all should pay attention to EVERY DAY of our lives.

What if you made a list of all the people who have made a difference in your life?
How long would that list be?
Would it take a while to make sure it’s all inclusive?
Would it be worth the time?
What would you do with the list after you generate it?

I know it would take me a long time to make sure I got everyone on it. I also know I’ve forgotten people’s names but not their impact. What more of a legacy could there be for someone – to know you made an impact on another. Wouldn’t you like to know that?

I didn’t succeed in my attempted trek across the USA but what the attempt did is worth more than the sand in my feet if I’d made it to the Atlantic ocean. People came out of the woodwork of my past and found me on Facebook. I am so grateful for that.

There are so many people who have influenced me and helped me along my journey.

Today I want to recognize all the Navy Corpsmen with whom I’ve worked. These are the fondest and most heartwarming memories in my life. I never had anything bad to think or say about any Corpsman I knew and especially cherished those around me on a daily basis.

These guys and gals lifted me up and did all the work so that I could concentrate on what I needed to do. Each person on a Team has its job and never is that truer than in an Emergency Department. Without the coordination of a finely tuned team, each member knowing what they are supposed to do and when, patients will have needless suffering (emotional or physical) and even possibly death.

Navy Corpsmen CARE! That pretty much says it all. They will always take care of you no matter what it means – putting themselves in danger, standing up for you, protecting you, protecting patients, staying late, deploying forever, sacrificing everything.

I am pretty much alone in my life now and, of course, I think about what will happen at the end. If I had but one person who could be at my bedside at the end, I would like it to be a Navy Corpsman.

Thank someone today. You are where you are because of that person, no matter how tiny their impact.

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I Don’t Want To Be An Inspiration!

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I’d rather be an influencer (much as I cringe when i hear that word and its current meaning as on Tik Tok and YouTube I guess).

I don’t know about you but when I see someone that I might say “inspires” me, it’s just a feeling like “wow, how special that person is. look at all they overcame. I’d like to be like that.”

But, for me anyway, that’s pretty much where it ends. It’s a positive emotion but if emotions were currency, we’d all be rich.

I want to see WHAT or HOW someone did something to get to where now everyone is calling them an inspiration. What steps did they take? We know that no one is truly an “overnight” success no matter what it might seem. They had to work to get there and I want to know what those steps were. I also want to know what they overcame to see if I can identify with it and then put their techniques into practice for my own improvement. If i have no clue what their obstacle is like because I’ve never experienced anything similar, I won’t get as much benefit from following their steps (we can always benefit in some way).

Of course, most “inspirational” people have dealt with physical, mental and emotional aspects of adversity or desire.

I would much rather someone say “gee, Terrie, I didn’t realize how important it is to rest/sleep before making significant decisions until you kept hammering it home” than to hear “you are such an inspiration.” I don’t know what you did with that inspiration. If you tell me, then that’s different and it’s meaningful.

I want to teach and guide and help those who want to learn about how I got from point A to point B – and more importantly, perhaps, what i learned that I should have done to make the trip easier.

Which would you rather be? Which has a greater impact?

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What Do You Mean?

Veterans' Day 2022

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Two caveats:

I am a veteran and love that so many have changed their Facebook profile photo to one of them in uniform. But, the only photo I have is one when I was an Ensign (way back in the late 70s) and obviously that isn’t digital – we didn’t even know what that word meant or if it existed back then..lol

Because it’s Veterans Day, I’ll post about How To Read My Book tomorrow. Bet you are glad for the reprieve from my bragging and sales pitches..lol

Ok, now about today’s subject….

Today is Veteran’s Day and I will say that everyone, especially here in San Antonio, makes it a special day with discounts and freebies for Veterans. It’s extremely nice and I’m sure appreciated by all of us.

I don’t think anyone wants “Thank you for your service” to merely be something you say like “how are you today?” or “have a nice day”. But, it’s similar to so many of our overused words. How many times can you say “like” and have anyone pay attention to it or have anyone think it actually has meaning.

Ask yourself, “What do I mean when I tell someone I hardly know (or even those I do know) ‘thank you for your service’? What am I really thanking them for?”

Maybe, you could add a little something extra about what it means knowing that they gave up a job that would earn more money to continue to protect our country or to serve those who were doing the protection.

Also, please remember, that it’s not all about Combat veterans. I see this way too often and I’m not demeaning them..BUT I feel that when people think only of combat veterans as “worthy” or “important”, the whole point is missed.

We are a TEAM and more importantly, we are a FAMILY! Everyone on a team is important. I continually refer to the pandemic and the immense importance of (but with little recognition of) the housekeeping staffs in the hospital. How long do you think the hospital would have been able to remain open without them scrubbing and spraying everything to keep those little buggers (literally) from hopping up onto another patient or staff member?

Same with the military. Without all the supply people in the states and without trainers, not much would good would happen in the combat arenas. EVERYONE has a part.

So, maybe ask someone what they did in the service – not just the branch but what their job was and how they liked it or who they supported etc.. Find out more about the service you’re thanking them for. I guarantee you’ll go away enriched!

Thanks to all my Shipmates who cared for the patients we took care of. You all supported each other so everyone could give their utmost and know that a caring person was nearby. I love everyone (well, almost everyone….I don’t want to be Pinocchio) I served with.

Happy Veterans’ Day!