I visit as many as 40 hospital rooms a day.  I was paged to a room and scrambled the number in my mind and entered the wrong room.  I could tell from the calm demeanor in the room that this was not where I was supposed to be.  While I was there I noticed a service dog sitting in a chair next to a visitor.  Because I was needed urgently, I had to politely excuse myself and learn where I was supposed to be and then get there as quickly as possible.  Later I encountered the visitor and the service dog in the hallway and had the luxury of leisure and engaged the visitor in a conversation.  The visitor told me about all the ways the dog helps her deal with her hearing deficit by sounding a bark.  Here is a partial list of things the dog will alert her to:

• A whistling tea pot.
• The doorbell.
• The telephone.

I was most impressed with how the presence of the dog gave her joy and a sense of independence.  As we talked she did not complain once about lack of hearing.  She continually praised her service animal for all the ways he helps here.  I was impressed with his behavior.  The dog did not seem the least bit nervous being in a hospital or upset by all the sounds that are a part of the hospital setting.

As I walked away from our conversation I wondered how I would behave if I was the one with the service dog.  Would I praise the dog?  Would I complain about how hard life is without the ability to hear in a normal manner?  I will probably never know the answers to these questions.  But as I remember this visitor, I am going to remember her spirit and example to be thankful and adjust to new ways of dealing with life rather than complain about what I can’t do.  It was a good lesson for me and helped me examine the whole role of thankfulness vs. complaining that all of us can face in life.