On Bonanza and Ramadan

The nursing school class I was in was quite a cast of characters. Most of the people in it were in their 30s and 40s (one of them was a higher up HR exec at an international company and 62.. he wanted to be a nurse after he retires.  He's probably one of my favorite people on this earth. He embodies the saying "young at heart").

Another one of my favorite classmates from nursing school was Wendy (not her actual name). She wore traditional Muslim garb, worked as an LPN for years in a nursing home (now returning for her RN) and she was funny. as. hell.  Never in a mean way, never in an "off" way (I'm sure classmates of mine thought I was a total perv at times with some of the crap I said haha!) but always in a unique, clever way.  For example, one day we were sitting around waiting for a non broken VCR to be brought into the class people were saying "who even uses a VCR and more??"  Wendy said "I do.  We keep it in our basement at home." So we asked the obvious question "What do you watch on it?" She shot back "Bonanza, of course."  We seriously almost peed ourselves right there.

The best story about Wendy, however, happened during our clinical rotation to the ER.  We were allowed to talk with and assess patients and to add any additional info we may have gleaned to the nursing and/or medical staff. Now, for a little background, the hospital this rotation happened at was called St. ____ ; so when Wendy appeared in the room of a sweet little elderly German-American couple, no one was really sure how they were going to respond to a woman wearing a Muslim headdress and scarf. Surprisingly, things went extremely well, she got in a great history and physical assessment and they were incredibly comfortable with her. As she was gathering her papers and getting ready to walk out the elderly woman said, "I think it's WONDERFUL that St. ____  still hires nuns as nurses! We will tell all our friends to come here!"

Wendy smiled and walked out to see her clinical group practically with tears in our eyes from trying to stifle the laughter.  We asked Wendy "Are you going to tell her?"  She deadpanned back: "Are you CRAZY?"

Interesting how because of Wendy's sweet personality, warmth, and quick wit, she was perceived as one of "their own" (interestingly, Wendy is also black).  If all of us had a positive experience with someone who is different from us, just think how much better the world would be.

I grew up in a small coal town.  The first time I ever saw a black person (besides on Sesame street) was on field trips to NYC and such.  Finally when I went away to college (the first time out of high school) I became friends with people from all kinds of backgrounds.  Never really anyone from the Islamic faith, though.. until I started to work in the auto collision industry.  From there I met, who was for me, the embodiment of what a true follower of Islam should be.

He went by "Doc" (he held a PhD in philosophy.) He managed a car rental business inside our office.  Every day he went outside with his little mat (don't know what they are called) and he prayed kneeling toward meccah.  In front of a bunch of meat and potatoes/rough around the edges techs in the body shop. Doc exuded gentleness and caring to everyone he spoke to in business and as a coworker.

Now, when most people think about "Muslims" they think of terrorists and extremists.  I think of Wendy and Doc. What I saw in them made it pretty clear to me that God gives us his "guidelines" for how to live life in many forms; it depends on your particular part of the world/culture as to which one will work the best to help you achieve spiritual awareness/oneness with Him. Once you learn to accept that there's no one RIGHT way to be like God (all loving and forgiving and wise) then you can let go of the need to prove to everyone that you are right and they are wrong and learn to simply be an example to them. Doc and Wendy both proved that very thing to me.  They didn't make me want to convert to Islam per se.. but what they did do was show me God has given us MANY paths to him; just as a loving God should. :)