~~It is my firm belief that "there truly are no coincidences in life! This week I experienced an affirmation of this fact when I went out to lunch. I sat down at a table next to two men who I believed to be a father and son. I was later to find that the older gentleman was a neighbor of the younger man when the younger man was in his childhood. Periodically the younger man picks his friend up and takes him out to lunch. The setting was very reminiscent of when I would pick my father up and "break him out of the joint" (as I would say to him) for lunch.
Shortly after I ordered my lunch I had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with these two gentlemen, and what ensued was amazing for me.
You see the older of the two men was preparing to celebrate his 99th birthday. As we conversed I was enlightened by the gentle presentation of a lifetime of wisdom that was being presented to me. This man who I came to learn was originally a "New Englander" had come to our community as a young man. He was also a World War II veteran, who had survived Pearl Harbor, and fought at Guadalcanal. Along with the many other exploits that he related to me, he had been imprisoned by the Japanese.
This man's name was as unique as were so many other things that I gleaned from my brief half hour conversation with him. His name is Melville McKenney. He was named after the writer of many fine New England stories, Herman Melville.
The peaceful intensity of this man's persona was pervasive in his every word. But there were certain things that stood out to me that he casually discussed as we conversed. One of which was the concept that the "Think Right" is so very powerful! He stated to me that he "will not use a walker, after all I have two good legs. I will use them as long as I have them." This statement was so refreshing to me in light of the fact that I have had many patients over the years who either give up too soon, or just become accustomed to depending on the support of a walker. They never get away from it, and they experience progressive degenerative changes, in part because of this increasing dependency. This is an indication of a mantra that includes not only a belief in not giving up, but also a strong will, which is something that often wanes with the years as well.
The next comment Melville made to me was even more amazing. He looked at me and said "I have certain things in my life that I strive for." I couldn't believe what I just heard. Here is a man rapidly approaching his first century of life, and he has "certain things in life" to "strive for". I have met more people in my brief life than I can remember who have literally nothing to strive for. It is sad but true. It is also true as well that we all need a purpose in life, and we need to constantly challenge ourselves.
Melville also told me he learned two things in the Service of our Country. One was to respect others. The other was to always remain humble. From what I observed in my brief, but extremely enlightening visit with my new friend Melville, was that he practiced both of these fine qualities everyday in every one of his encounters.
The encounter with Melville ended with him reaching out to shake my hand, and address me by my first name, which he made sure he captured when we first met. He said; "It was nice to meet you Doug, and I really enjoyed speaking with you."
Melville, it is I who must thank you for the wonderful life lessons and wisdom you shared with me in our all too brief but immensely enlightening encounter. I wish you the best, and I look forward to crossing paths with you again in the future. I was truly an Honor!
Dr. Pfeiffers "Think Right"
Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance.
~ Jon Franklin