I have been working with a young man at work over the past few months. He was new to the area and had a real attitude when we first met. I chalked it up to him being male, 21 years old and probably not wanting to be there.
Recently his mom told me when she dropped him off that he told her that he really liked working with me. Nothing like a comment like that to make a young man blush.
Guess I had finally made it it through that tough exterior of his with our occasional side conversations about the state of the world. Although his very primative opinions on the non existence of Palestine made me bite my tongue pretty hard.
So now whenever he comes in, he'll throw something at me, almost like a test, to see if he could teach me a thing or two. The last subject was Iran, which he really didn't know a whole lot about...oh the chutzpah of a 20 something male...
Then his chronic disease took a turn for the worse and suddenly he was down to 130 lbs. For a 6 ft 7" guy, that is dramatic. And I was suddenly struck with the feeling that I was witnessing someone who was wasting away right in front of me. That realization along with the frightful look in his eyes completely gutted me.
So I took control of the conversation one day when he was trying to explain to me the whole caloric system. And I told him I didn't care about that. All I cared about was that if he was capable of only eating 5 tablespoons of something in a day, it needs to be high density, ideally protein and every tablespoon needs to count.
I don't usually speak to someone in such a dictatorial way. I could tell that my firmness caught him by surprise but I couldn't stand around listening to him tell me how he was trying to eat toast. All I saw was someone who looked like they were dying.
My mind was working on a plan B, even when I was in Tokyo, should things not have improved by the time I returned. Subsequently found out that one of his Drs changed up some meds that had known abdominal side effects and he had been eating again since and had regained a number of pounds.
What a relief.
What a relief that it was fixed - this is why I'm not a big fan of pharmaceuticals, while at the same time realising that for many they work perfectly. Anyway, glad to hear he's doing better. I hope you can maintain your relationship with him, it sounds like it's beneficial to you both! Hopefully you're opening his eyes to a new way of looking at the world. Hope you're doing well - the 'brain dumps' have sounded a bit stressed. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks -- The brain dumps have been cathartic. No stand alone item is super difficult or really serious but if you have enough of them floating around inside, just taking up space, cumulatively stresses. Haven't sat down and written for a while, which is probably why things have built up.
DeleteMy undergrad was in pharmacology and toxicology, so I developed a healthy respect and caution for and against drugs. It's like pulling teeth to get me to take anything. Was prescribed a narcotic for my dental procedure but have managed to steer clear from having to take it. Don't like feeling loopy.
By the way, forgot to ask how things went with that lawnmower of yours. Did you get the power issue sorted out? And I didn't realize you had to buy chicken food -- Seeds?
Yes, catharsis is good stuff. I understand, and I need to do more of it myself! Clearing clutter externally is a good start.
DeleteI ask a lot more questions now when it comes to pharmaceuticals but I still find myself reaching for them more than I'd like. I can appreciate your dislike of them - I think having that sort of background can make you really leery of such stuff!
I did get the lawnmower figured out actually. There's basically a 'child safety' mechanism. Which explains much... :P But grass is now done. Chicken feed is £4 a bag. They have pellets and some kitchen scraps and seem quite content. I've got two of them and had 3 eggs a day the past couple of days! :D Such funny birds. xx
That child safe set up would have likely tripped me up too!
DeleteI find chickens so great to watch. They're pretty zen as they go around pecking. Plus I like eggs so win win!
Happy Weekend!