Do you have somebody or something that hinders or prevents progress in your workplace? Do you have something or someone that blocks or impedes you moving forward in providing care for your plastic surgery patient? I am sure we all face these battles at one time or another. Intermittently in life, we encounter obstacles and difficulties at extremely short notice; this doesn't give us any time to prepare for them, and it's during those periods where our strength of character is often put to the test. Think about the things in your life that have made you stronger. When our patient is ill, it teaches us appreciation for our own good health. If you have ever faced danger, then you appreciate courage. If you experience sadness, then you know happiness. The author Jeff Durham, as well as the basketball player, Michael Jordan, have had discussions on obstacles they have faced. An obstacle is something you need to get around or over to progress; it can fuel your determination. Obstacles don't have to stop you. Don't turn around and give up when faced with obstacles. I relate this to a story I once read about a man and his butterfly attacker.
A man was walking down a path through some woods in Georgia and saw a water puddle ahead on the path. He angled his direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water and mud. As he reached the puddle, he was suddenly attacked! Yet he did nothing, for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally unexpected. He was startled as well as unhurt, despite having been struck four or five times already. When the man backed up his foot, his attacker stopped attacking him. Instead of attacking more, his attacker hovered in the air on graceful butterfly wings in front of him. Had the man been hurt, he probably wouldn't have found it amusing, but he was not hurt. He found this incident funny and started laughing. After all, he was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped laughing, the man took a step forward. His butterfly attacker rushed him again. He rammed the man in the chest with his head and body, striking him over and over again with all his might, still to no avail. For a second time, the man retreated a step while his attacker relented in his attack. Yet again, the man tried moving forward. His butterfly attacker charged him again. He was rammed in the chest over and over again. The man wasn't sure what to do other than to retreat a third time. After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. The man finally stepped back several paces to look the situation over. The butterfly attacker moved back as well to land on the ground. That's when the man discovered why his attacker was charging him only moments earlier. The butterfly attacker had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed. Sitting close beside her, the butterfly attacker opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. The man could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. The butterfly had taken it upon himself to attack the man for his mate's sake, even though she was clearly dying and the man was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should the man have been careless enough to step on her.
Now the man knew why and what the butterfly attacker was fighting for. There was really only one option left for the man. He carefully made his way around the puddle to the other side of the path, although it was only inches wide and extremely muddy. The butterfly attacker's courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself, just for his mate's safety, justified it. The man couldn't do anything other than reward the butterfly by walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. The butterfly attacker had truly earned those moments to be with his mate undisturbed. The man left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud from his boots when he later reached his car.
After reading this simple little story I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly's courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for. Frank Clark once said, "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." Whenever you are faced with an obstacle, take it as an unrecognized opportunity. Our personal lives can be full of ups and downs whether it be at home, work, or school. You might even have those ups and downs in your relationships with your patients. Remember, our life experiences help shape and determine our values and goals. Take your obstacles as an opportunity or stepping stone to build on for the future.
Sharon D. Fritzsche, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CPSN
ASPSN President 2011, 2012