Smile

Almost 1 1/2 years ago (literally), I was admitted into the hospital, for my scheduled transphenoidal surgery. Wearing the oh-so-ever fashionable hospital gown, with an IV in my arm (a saline solution with mild sedative), waiting for the outcome of a previous blood test and the impending surgery scheduled to take place in the next few minutes.

Laying there on that bed I felt like I was having an outer body experience. I think I mumbled to myself, “is the glass half empty or half full?” The neuro surgeon came in (I now have a different one) with a clip board and waiver for me to sign. He then proceeded to tell me everything and anything that could possibly go wrong in surgery. I believe they were actual percentages of people who died on the table, had a stroke, a seizure, problems with anesthesia, died of complications from surgery, the possibility of having to remove my pituitary gland, etc. Then he handed me the clip board, said to “collect myself” and asked me to sign it. I think he might even have told a joke. I’m not sure, as the sound of my heart pounding was starting to get louder than my mumbling “is the glass half full or half empty?”

As my husband held my hand, (I think he realized if he didn’t, I would most assuradly end up in space) I held a folded up, worn piece of paper my sister had given me the night before. This is what it said:

Attitude
By Charles Swindoll
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes”.

I mumbled to myself… “would that glass be half full of water? half full of vodka? or half full of chocolate malt?” I then took a deep breath, signed the waiver and about that time the neuro surgeon stepped back in. He said my lab work looked a little better, wanted to keep trying the meds and sent me home. Before we drove back home, we stopped for breakfast.

I ordered a large chocolate malt.

Smile