A Clean Case of Lifevesting

It was the Wednesday afternoon before my Grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary when I got the phone call from my mother. She was calling to make sure that I was packing my suit to take to Alabama for the celebration. Needing to bring a suit, being new news to me, came at an very inconvenient time. I knew that the one suit I owned was dirty and since I was getting ready to go to work I would not have time to drop it off by the dry cleaners before my scheduled clock-in time. I went to work, came home late and went to bed. The next morning (Thursday) I woke up and went to class. I arrived back in my dorm room at around 11:00. Knowing that I was leaving to go to Alabama Friday morning I began calling dry cleaners. For forty-five minutes I called business asking them if they could clean my suit and have it back to me today before 5:00. No Luck. At the end of my rope I reached the last number under the dry cleaner's section in the phone book, Tyler's Cleaners.

The woman who answered the phone was very nice and seemed to be a person in some position of power (latter I would find out that she was the owner of the business, Mrs. Tyler). I told her my situation and asked if there was any way she could get my suit cleaned and back to me by 5:00. Without hesitation she said,

Well even though it's a little late in the day if you can get it by here by 12:30 we can get it cleaned for you.

I hopped in my car and drove across town to the location of the cleaners. When I arrived I quickly found out that the same woman on the phone was behind the counter. I told her that I was the man on the phone, she smiled, and took my suit. She then turned and asked for my phone number, I gave it to her she wrote it on a piece of paper and pinned it to the suit. Along with it a note that read,

Rush Order! Call When Ready!

She informed me that it would probably be close to 5:00 before it was ready. I reassured her that 5:00 was great as long as it was clean, and then left. At a quarter to three my cell phone rang, it was the same woman telling me that my suit was ready and that she personally had just pulled it off of the rack. When I arrived at the cleaners to pick up the suit she again greeted me with a smile and gave me the suit, I paid her for the services and asked for a few business cards. I told her I didn't know of many college students who used dry cleaners but if anyone ever asked me I would send them to her way. She handed me the business cards, thanked me, and wished my grandparents a happy 50th.

Mrs. Tyler did what she had to more often than she probably wanted to for less money than she deserved all because she had a larger view in mind. Mrs. Tyler was a lifevestor but even more than that she ran her business with the same principles. I don't know how much business I gave Tyler cleaners, but I handed out all of the business cards, and every time I need something dry cleaned I will drive past four other dry cleaners on my way to Tyler Cleaners.

For more lifevesting stories check out www.lifevesting.com.

Medical Show Heroes

I have always watched TV shows that revolve or have themes that revolve around medicine, even those I have just watched in reruns. M*A*S*H, Doogie Howser, Rescue 911,Third Watch, along with other shows, have entertained me through many late nights and boring afternoons. The three crown jewels in my book of medical TV shows are, ER, Scrubs, and House M.D. In each of these shows there are characters who stand out. It is these characters that put each in the top three.
Dr. Robert Romano. Many fans of the widely popular ER hated Romano for his rude comments, rough social skills, and canny ability to piss people off. The character was killed off the show midway through the tenth season. Dr. Romano was the type of man who got things done. As Chief of Staff Romano would be described as being insensitive, but if there was one thing that he did care about was saving lives. Dr. Romano, usually a jerk, usually right, and always entertaining.

The next doc to grace my top three is Dr. Perry Cox on another NBC medical show, Scrubs. Though scrubs is the comedy that jump started Zach Braff's career the comedy stylings of John C. McGinley help to make the show. Dr. Cox appears to be a self centered arrogant doctor who doesn't want the role of mentor that everyone else places on him. The truth is Cox is self centered, but deep inside he cares more about his patients and coworkers than anyone else at Sacred Heart. His hilarious drawn out rants, insults, and raves make the character the hero of the show.
I guess the producers at FOX finally picked up on idea of the jerk doctor who doesn't like people and is always sure that they are right. In 2004 House M.D. premiered. Staring the popular British actor Hugh Laurie as a Gregory House, the brilliantly dysfunctional Head of Diagnostic Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Living under the philosophy that everyone he meets is lying to him, House, spends as little time as possible with patients and uses questionable techniques to save lives. The pill-popping, limping self loathing doctor doesn't care as much about people as he does with doing what is right. The character offers a paradox with his questionable morals concerning his personal life but over exerts himself to save patients he claims he doesn't like. The intricate character development, in my opinion, is the reason the show is multiple award winning drama.

I don't know if it is the fact that there are few people in the world that act in the manner of Romano, Cox, and House, or the fact that at times we all act like them, but they are the type of characters that make me sure that cynicism makes humanity more entertaining.


Honorable Mention:


Hawkeye Pierce

The 40 Acres

I graduated Saturday. I became one of the many names to be placed on the alumni wall at Hardin-Simmons University, the 40 Acres. After four years I have earned my Bachelor of Arts in Ministry. The things I learned in order to earn my degree H-SU don't come close to rivaling the life experience I gained in the past four years. I have met people who have changed my life for the better, some of them friends I will keep close the remainder of my life. College went by Fast. I remember my first night on campus my roommate, Geoffrey, and I locked ourselves out of the dorm and stood outside for close to an hour before we found someone to let us in.

My very first class, Computer Basics, I sat across from a man named Arron Nunn. Aaron was on 25 and starting H-SU as a freshman for the second time in his life. The first time he had gone to college for all of the wrong reasons and as a result his GPA was so poor that he ended up dropping out and joining the military. While in the military (or some time shortly after) Aaron's life was turned around. He began living his life for the Lord.

My very first class was the only class I had with Aaron at H-SU, however I vaguely kept up with Aaron when I would run into him on campus. Saturday morning the first person I saw when I entered the room where the graduating students were instructed to congregate, the first face I saw was Aaron's. We briefly discussed our time at school, our wives, and our plans for the future. The thing that struck me the most about our conversation is realizing how much we had both changed while at the 40 Acres. The past four years have been some of the best of my life.

here are the links to my favorite H-SU posts I have written over the past four hears:

• HSU 04-05
• Hardin Simmons Round 2
• HSU 06-07
• Anderson Hall