the power of a friend

On Saturday afternoon I went to see The Soloist. It's a movie about a newspaper reporter, Steve Lopez, and a homeless man, Nathaniel A Ayres. Steve is looking for a story and stumbles upon Nathaniel playing a 2 stringed violin beneath a statue of Ludwig Van Bethoven in LA. As Steve researches Nathaniel's life a much deeper story unravels. A lot happens to both of them over the course of many months. At one point Steve thinks he can't handle his relationship with Nathaniel anymore and a bold person points out, "You CANNOT underestimate the power of being a friend."

I have thought about this quote a lot since Saturday. I have friends in so many stages of life. In so many stages of emotional stability. In many stages of spiritual maturity. But I am BLESSED with many, many friends. It breaks my heart to know there are so many people who walk around day after day without ever having a positive interaction with another human being. What must that be like? How does someone without anybody else get up day after day? They are made of greater stuff than I because I don't think I could do it.

So, if you are my friend, thank you. I love you deeply.

If you are randomly reading this blog and you don't have that deep interaction with another person and you are without any friends, please know that as I have written this, I have prayed for you. I have prayed that God will bless you with friends.

You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.

Charlotte, in “Charlotte’s Web”

My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.

Lee Iacoca

me and my keys

I think I may have to get one of those nerdy hip clips for my keys. ( see previous post titled Elevator April 4). Yesterday evening I went to the big bin outside my apartment building to throw away my old bike tires. I unlock the garbage bin and throw in the tires. I also throw in my keys. Either the dye that keeps my hair so lovely and blonde is beginning to seep into my brain or my keys are hankering for some adventure. I look at my keys in the bottom of the bin and think "well, I guess I could climb in there and get them" but I don't really want to do that. I could ask my friend who is putting the new tires on my bike, who is over 6 feet tall, to come outside and reach into the bin for my keys but he is being very helpful and I don't want to disturb. Then I look up. There at the bin next door is a guy. Dishevelled, a little dirty. Wearing a nice red hoodie. He's picking through the recycling bins and opening whatever lid doesn't have a lock.

"Hey buddy! do you think you could give me a hand?"

"What do you need?"

"Well, I accidentally dropped my keys into this bin."

"Be right there."

He secures his stuff and comes over. I point to my keys. He reaches in, grabs them and hands them to me.

"Thank you so much." I smile.

"You're welcome." He smiles.

It was a lovely interaction. I hope I see him again.

so exciting! and quite funny.

We swept them clean! Not a dust bunny in sight and the Blues are getting ready to golf tomorrow. YES!! Sadly, I was not able to watch the goal that happened in the last 19 seconds of the first OT period 'cause I was in rehearsal for the worship team. It's still exciting to see it, even if it's just highlights!

On a funny note. This is a recent post on Postcards from Yo Momma and it made me laugh out loud:

I had a CT done today of my stomach. I’m sure it was fine but the patient before me was a possum from the zoo. I have to be the only person in the world that had to wait for a possum to go first for a medical test.

I can totally see this happening to my mom.

smooth barista

On my way to work yesterday evening, I stopped at JJ Bean to get an americano. A guy I've met a couple of times was working so I greeted him with his name. He looked at me a little confused so I contextualized how we knew one another and a look of recognition swept over his face. We stood and chatted for a while and he asked where I was going.

"I'm on my way to work actually."

"what do you do?"

"I'm an ICU nurse."

"wow, that's cool. How long have you been a nurse?"

"More years than I care to tell you."

"It can't have been that long."

"Almost 15 actually."

"What? Did you start nursing when you were 14 or something?"

I think I'm in love.

so far so good

My Canuckleheads came through! YES! First period was great, the rest a little boring but they won and that's all that matters. To quote my friends Facebook status, 1 win down, 15 to go.

I keep stumbling upon articles that say the Canucks have a good chance of winning the cup. Let's hope these experts know what they're talking about. Let's hope Luongo can stay healthy and focused. Let's hope that Burrows hasn't exhausted his goal scoring streak in the regular season.

I can't believe I have to work during the next game. So distracting!

cautiously hopeful

I am going to the first game of the first series in the playoffs tonight. Canucks versus St. Louis. The Canuckleheads!! They made it. It was a little precarious for a while there and the whole city could feel it. What with waiting and waiting and waiting to see whether or not Mats Sundin would sign and whether or not it would make a difference. And Luongo and his groin injury. And some really terrible hockey at some points. Sheesh! They know how to stress a girl out but they came through in the end and won the Northwest Division! YES! And I get to go and help send them off into playoff land.

Yesterday at work I was reminiscing with a co-worker about previous playoff years. She went to the final game of the Stanley Cup finals back in 1982. I was in elementary school when the Canucks made a run for the cup against the New York Islanders. At the time their goalie was Richard Brodeur and he was amazing. Some radio station wrote a song called King Richard. I can still sing portions of that song. "King Richard, gonna help us win the cup, King Richard gonna take us to the top..." I remember being outside at recess and me and my friends would sing that song at the top of our lungs while playing tetherball. FUN!

Then 1994. Again New York, but this time the Rangers. Great hockey. Stupid rioters. Honestly, people are ridiculous. I don't really think they were upset about hockey. I think people riot and essentially throw adult temper tantrums 'cause they feel out of control and hopeless.

So, now it's 2009. We again have a great goalie. According to some NHL experts that is what matters. All teams that have won the cup have a great guy in the net. We also have two great offensive lines. Usually we only have one but now we have two! So, to quote the title of this post. I am cautiously hopeful.

stupidity and needles

Before I write about stupidity and needles, I would like to rejoice that my keys are back in my possession. Fortunately, one of the strata council ladies has a son who is an elevator repair man. He graciously came and fished my keys out from underneath the elevator on Sunday afternoon. YAY! I can now take out the garbage.

On to stupidity and needles. Safety and blood gets talked about quite a lot in my profession. We wear latex gloves when there is the possibility of coming into contact with bodily fluids. We have special garbage bags for things that are soaked in bodily fluids. We are especially careful with blood and blood products. Over the past 10-20 years manufacturers have developed a number of 'safety needles'. Most needles now have protective coverings that go over the needles once it's been used. The needle used to start an IV retracts into a sheath with spring loaded action after you hit a button. This is to keep the IV starter from ever coming into contact with the needle.

Apparently there have been some issues. The needle isn't retracting expeditiously enough for some or at all for others. The manufacturer just released an advisory, including the following statement:

if retraction does not occur or is slow, depress the button again and do not manipulate the exposed needle by shaking or striking the needle

Who would do this?!! Seriously. Shaking the needle would be bad enough considering it's probably got blood in it. But striking the needle? Honestly. What exactly would you strike the needle with? Your other gloved hand? No, that hand is holding the IV in. Perhaps your leg? Perhaps you could strike the needle on various objects around the room. The bed? the siderail? I don't know. But most companies don't issue advisories like this unless someone has actually tried it. I hope whoever that was keeps it to themselves 'cause I might just have a hard time with that.

elevator

On days I work I am gone from my house for a very long time. I leave at 650 and usually get home at 830. If I decide to stop to grocery shop or run errands on the way home it pushes the arrival time to around 930 bringing the total time away from home to about 15 hours. Sooooooooo, last night, I grocery shop. I buy a relatively large amount of food 'cause I'm hosting a brunch on Sunday for 15 people. I drag all of my groceries onto the elevator and push 2. The door opens and I pull all of the bags off the elevator. My keys are in the pocket of my lululemon hoodie. The pockets are not that deep and as I lean over to pick up another bag, my keys slip out of my pocket and fall. Not that tragic except they fall down the elevator shaft. Yes folks, that's right, keys down the elevator shaft at 945 at night. Fortunately my friend Jonas has keys to my place. I wait in the hallway for about half an hour until he shows up with a huge grin on his face. He finds this incredibly amusing. I find it kind of amusing too. At some point I'd like my keys back. I knew there was more than just health benefits to not taking the elevator.