BEING DIFFERENT

SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION LATELY HAVE MADE ME PONDER, MADE ME WONDER, MADE ME HAPPY AND MADE ME MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER. WORKING AS A PARAMEDIC I RUN ACROSS SO MANY TYPES OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND ALSO WORK WITH MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE AS I GUESS WE ALL DO. IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS SOME STATEMENTS HAVE MADE IT BACK TO ME THAT HAVE BEEN SAID BY CO-WORKERS, STUDENTS THAT DO CLINICAL ROTATIONS ON MY AMBULANCE WITH ME, AND EVEN FROM MY BOSS. MY CHARACTER, WORK ETHIC, INTEGRITY, VALUES, MORALS, HARD WORK, KNOWLEDGE BASE IN MY FIELD, AND MY EFFORTS TO ALWAYS GO THAT EXTRA MILE FOR MY PATIENTS, MY STUDENTS, MY FRIENDS, AND MY SUPERVISORS FOR SOME REASON HAS BEEN OPENLY DISCUSSED SEVERAL TIMES. FOR A PATIENT OR THEIR FAMILY, FOR A FIRE DEPARTMENT, FOR A STUDENT OR A NURSING FACILITY TO TAKE THE TIME TO ACTUALLY CALL AND COMPLIMENT A CREW IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF. WHATEVER IM DOING, RECENTLY I HAVE HAD SIX OF THESE CALLS AND LETTERS COME IN TO MY SUPERIORS. AT FIRST I WAS SORT OF TAKEN BACK BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS JUST DOING WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO PROVIDE GOOD CARE, TO SET A GOOD EXAMPLE, TO DO RIGHT WHEN FACED WITH WRONG, AND TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO BE THEIR BEST. APPARENTLY, THIS IS NOT A NORMAL THING IN MY CAREER FIELD. I WAS SO EXCITED TO BE APPRECIATED FOR DOING SUCH GOOD WORK AND FOR BEING THE PERSON THAT I STRIVE TO BE BECAUSE I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ANYONE NOTICED OR APPRECIATED IT, I DID IT BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO BE. BUT THEN, IT CAME BACK TO ME SOME OF THE OTHER CREWS DON'T LIKE ME OR MY EMT PARTNER BECAUSE WE DON'T COMPLAIN SO THE BOSS LIKES US, THE BOSS KNOWS AND HAS STATED THAT IF I CALL HIM ANYTHING I TELL HIM HE CAN TRUST AND HE NEVER WORRIES ABOUT ANYTHING WHEN IM ON SHIFT. HE EVEN SENT ME AN E-MAIL THANKING ME FOR BEING WHO I AM AND STATED THAT IT IS MY DRIVE, PASSION, AND ATTITUDE THAT HE USES AS THE STANDARD FOR ALL THE OTHER PARAMEDICS AT OUR COMPANY AND i WAS JUST FLOORED. BUT IS IS ALMOST SAD TO BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE NOW I KNOW I AM DISLIKED BY SOME JUST BECAUSE I DON'T COMPLAIN, I DO MY JOB, I DON'T VARY FROM OUR RULES AND PROTOCOLS, I PICK UP EVERY CALL I CAN, I DROP WHAT IM DOING AND GO IN TO COVER TRUCKS WHEN NO ONE ELSE WILL, AND THEY HATE ME FOR IT. EVERY TIME I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY I PROFESS MY LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST AND LET ANYONE KNOW WHO WILL LISTEN THAT GOD IS THE REASON IM SMILE, GOD IS THE REASON I HAVE EMPATHY AND COMPASSION FOR OTHERS, GOD IS MY ROCK. SO, I WAS CONCERNED AT FIRST THAT I HAVE BEEN SINGLED OUT AS BEING DIFFERENT. BUT NOW I REALIZE THAT I AM DIFFERENT BECAUSE GOD IN IN MY HEART, MY SOUL, MY LIFE AND HE GUIDES MY DECISIONS, MY ATTITUDES, AND MY WILLINGNESS TO DO MORE THAN IS REQUIRED IN ANYTHING I ATTEMPT. I FEEL SO BLESSED BECAUSE WHEN MY SUPERVISOR ASKED ME ONE THE PHONE ONE DAY...HE SAID, "YOU HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH SO MUCH CRAP LATELY, HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU ALWAYS SMILING AND HAPPY"? MY IMMEDIATE AND INSTINCTIVE RESPONSE WAS ONE WORD, GOD. HE WAS KIND OF TAKEN BACK I THINK BECAUSE HE WAS SORT OF QUIET FOR A MINUTE, BUT IT WAS A WITNESSING MOMENT FOR ME AND I WAS ABLE TO BE DIFFERENT IN A WAY THAT HE RESPECTS AND APPRECIATES, ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! THANK YOU JESUS FOR GIVING ME THESE CHANCES TO SHOW OTHERS HOW TO WALK IN YOUR LIGHT!