Well, here it is -- no lecture, no pointing a finger at anyone, no negatives. This is just a short story about feeling good and being grateful.
After returning to the office from a short vacation, the first patient I saw asked, "How was the trip Doc? Did you have a good time and get a rest?" At first I was slightly embarrassed by the question, feeling that she was ribbing me for being out of the office (good old unfounded guilt). But she was really interested and I realized just how lucky I was to have the type of relationship I had with her.
Throughout the rest of the day many more patients asked similar questions, expressing comparable concerns. I found, rather than being "hyper" after just returning from a vacation, I was just happy to be helping people that I loved and who were glad to see me back.
Usually after a long absence my desk looks like a junk pile filled to overflowing with mail, faxes, files, and notes. My customary routine is to work like crazy to get through it, patients or not. But today was different. Gone was the rush to get things done. In its place came the old familiar feeling of loving what I was doing and loving the feeling that I was getting by helping others. Serving others is what I want to do. Admittedly, it was not the purpose I first started out with, but one that I was introduced to at my first D.E. meeting. My fire to help and serve others through chiropractic was kindled at the meeting and that desire has continued ever since. Lately my fire had gone down, but today my "birds started singing again." I felt that warmth in my very core. Nothing else feels like it. Nothing compares to it, nothing.
For some reason I never thought about whether the patients had insurance or not, nor did I worry about whether or not national health care will include freedom of choice concerning chiropractic (even if some fools were about to take us into oblivion by trying to use drugs). Nope, I just continued to enjoy the feeling of doing what I love best.
Of course I realize that in order to continue to be able to enjoy this feeling, I must work to keep chiropractic in the forefront of both the public, and the state and national legislative bodies. I know that I also must persist in attending state association meetings, support the ICA, PACs, colleges of my choice, and all the rest of the things that help to enhance my profession. But I drove those thoughts and concerns away this day and continued to luxuriate in the warmth.
It persisted into the evening when I wrote little notes to patients who I felt the need to encourage or thank for allowing me to care for them. It continued during the phone calls to new patients, inquiring how they were doing after their first adjustment, and during all the "little things" that we all do and never really think about.
Einstein, when asked the purpose of life, responded with the question, "Why am I here?" He then answered his own question: "Man is here for the sake of other men only." The 'man' meaning both sexes of course. I truly believe that by serving and helping others we too are being served and will enjoy life as the result. I know that this sounds silly, but sometimes it comes down to just a simple attitude. I am so glad that I can do this service through chiropractic. Throughout the rest of the day the warm, good feeling continued. I'm still basking in it as I write this column. Truly our rewards will always be in direct proportion to our contributions.
Unfortunately, most of us haven't been introduced to this rule or think it only applies to the other guy. It's like being in front of a fireplace and saying, "Give me heat and I'll give you wood." It doesn't work that way and neither does life. I believe that our rewards will be determined by the way we do our job, multiplied by the number of people we serve. Sometimes this is mistakenly called "good luck." There is no luck involved, just the law.
A 22-year-old patient came in for care this morning and I realized that I had taken care of him when he was just several weeks old, along with the rest of his family. They had moved out of town years ago and he had just returned to the area. He told me that he wanted to see if I remembered him. I sure did! It felt so good to think that the seeds I planted long ago bore fruit. His own child is coming in with him next time along with his wife -- generations of generations of generations. The longer that we as chiropractors are giving care, the less we are being thought of as "alternative" health care providers. We are becoming known as "family doctors" to millions.
I want this wonderful and amazing feeling of satisfaction to be absorbed and continued on by others. I want chiropractic students to realize that upon graduation they are offered a truly extraordinary opportunity, and that happiness and success is theirs for the asking. All they have to do is to follow the "law." The law that states that your rewards are always directly equal to your contributions. Remember, we take care of only 10 percent of the population. There is room for you and the notion that all the "good places" are taken is wrong. Ninety percent of the country is out there waiting for you to practice what you have been taught.
So I end my day being grateful for the bounty I have received, for the "old unscientific guy" who brought this all about, and for the many people who labor to make sure that all of us have this remarkable profession to pass on to our grandchildren's grandchildren.
John A. Hofmann, DC, FICA
Allen Park, Michigan
