Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)

Posted on March 18, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 2 comments

Four day spa treatment at SMH

 

“Thrown a curveball”. To be presented with an unexpected, difficult, or unpleasant situation that disrupts your plans.

It’s spring training in baseball and the “boys of summer” are back at it. The Toronto Bluejays are hoping for a reprise of their magical run to the World Series last year. For a number of years, I travelled to Florida and on many occasions, attended spring training games in Dunedin, a beautiful small city just up the road from Clearwater.

I never played organized baseball in my youth. We did play lots of baseball, but it was of the pickup variety. A phone call would be made to someone in another part of town and within an hour, a game would be in progress. We would track down an empty field somewhere in town – our own version of a “diamond in the rough”.  We didn’t have umpires and called balls and strikes on ourselves. No parental involvement. Our lives were simple. We weren’t over organized or micromanaged like the youth of today.

A few weeks ago, I had a rather nasty and unexpected surprise. I woke up in the middle of the night and was very unwell. Vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain necessitated a trip to the hospital. Four days later, I went back home minus one gall bladder. The care that I received at St.Martha’s Hospital was nothing short of extraordinary. Every single person I dealt with, from the janitors to my surgeon was kind and caring.

I jokingly said to a friend that the surgeon had a lot of gall to remove one of my organs while I was unconscious!

We hear so many horror stories about the health care system and waiting times. I was unbelievably lucky from the time I arrived at Emerg at 2:00 a.m. to getting surgery on a timely basis.

My main nurse during my stay was a young woman. Some people are born to be in a particular profession, and she was one of them. Competent, caring, and kind, she has all the tools to be a great nurse. Even when she was run off her feet, she always seemed to have time to answer a question or minister to my needs.

As I was being discharged, she asked me to give her my most important piece of advice, after me kicking around the planet for nearly 75 years. My initial response was to surround yourself with positive people. Of course, I was anxious to get out of the hospital and didn’t expand on this notion. A few days later, I sent her a thank you note where I added to this list. Here is what I shared with her:

• Practice gratitude: it’s a good idea to acknowledge the good in your life to improve your perspective and well-being.
• Build Strong Relationships: Invest time in family and friends as these supportive connections are essential for long-term happiness.
• Prioritize Physical Health: Exercise regularly, eat well, and get enough sleep to fuel your body and mind.
• Cultivate Resilience: Learn to bounce back from failure, viewing mistakes as necessary steps for growth.
• Find Your Purpose: Set meaningful goals that align with your passions, which provides direction and motivation.
• Live in the Present: Practice mindfulness and savor the small, daily moments rather than rushing through life.
• Keep Learning: Maintain curiosity and regularly acquire new skills to stay adaptable.
• Give Back: Engage in kindness, volunteering, or helping others, which adds deeper meaning to life.
• Stop Comparing: Remember these words from Desiderata: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”

(10) Stay Positive: Maintain a positive outlook and take responsibility for how you react to situations you cannot control.

I have never faced a curveball on a baseball field but like everyone else, I have had my share of “life curveballs”. Yes, often, we swing and miss and occasionally strike out but we have to pick ourselves up off the ground, brush off the dirt and take another swing.

Hitting it Out of the Park. To do something extremely well, exceed expectations, or achieve great success. In baseball, it refers to hitting a home run so hard that the ball leaves the park.

I am so grateful that we have a regional hospital in our hometown. The employees may not be great athletes but in my estimation, they “hit it out of the park” when I was trying to deal with a curveball.

Have a great weekend.