Through a half century of living, if there is one thing I have come to value it is connections--connections between family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Add to this the connections made on a daily basis with acquaintances and total strangers as we go about our daily living. What is really important? If we connect the dotted lines throughout our life, we may see connections we never noticed before, maybe a teacher from our early life becomes a mentor in our professional world. Maybe that casual relationship where we shop develops into a job lead at just the right time. Or maybe our volunteer position gives us such perspective that we are able to work through our own problems a little easier. Through our connections, we are weaving a life, moving forward, and hopefully making a difference.
My avatar is the Bethlehem Star--not only do I live in Bethlehem, the Christmas City, but I think stars in general represent connection. No matter where we are in the world, the stars are always there, a comfort, a consistency, a shared beauty, a connection to so many things. Who doesn't remember lying on the grass as a child, watching the stars and thinking of the possibilities, the dreams? We felt connected to the world at large and the sky was the limit!
I think as documentation specialists, transcriptionists, speech editors, teachers, authors, whatever our role in the health care industry, wherever we live or work, we need to focus on what we have in common. What is our connection--and how do we provide a valuable piece to the medical care of a patient? By sharing our time and talent we can contribute, we can move forward, we can make a difference--we can make the connection!