The Best Teacher

Lailia Tov (Good Evening):
I am sitting in front of the space heater, warming up. The heat has kicked in, so the apartement is slowly warming up. I am waiting for Mark who's been gone all day. I pulled out the chicken soup to warm up when he gets home.
I remember many years ago when I started Nursing Assistance Classes. I was the worst bed maker in the classs. I couldn't make those hosptial corners for anything. Often I left class in tears, knowing I could fail if I didn't learn how to make a hosptial bed.
Telling my mum the problem, she suggested the following: take two hankichiefs and a book. This is small enough for me to practice on.
So that weekend, every free moment I had, I practiced bed making with my little model. Once I could make the corners on the model, I started on my own bed. Perfect!
So, Monday, I went to class and impressed my teacher with the sudden turn around. After telling her how I learned, she asked if she could use my mother's idea of the book and handichiefs to help teach other students in the future.
Misatkes are commen. Flubs happen. The point is not to forcus on the mistakes or flubs, but look at them as teaching moments.
I remember my first day on the floor. G-d, what a ton of neves I was. There was one nurse who made cutting remakes about my preformance. Untiil another RN reminded this nurse how she was worse than I when she began. This same lovely lady took me under her wing and taught me the ropes and little tricks to get my work done and give the best nursing care.
One time, I had a co-worker kept telling me I was pulling the laundry away in the wrong slots in the linen closet. I had been told one thing and this woman was telling me I was wrong.
I stopped, smiled and since she could do a better job, I handed her the linen and walked away.
Later, this co-worker was dressed because the linen closet was a mess.
It is so easy to sit in judgemnent of others. Unaware of the all the facts, or care that the person is new to the job and it takes time to learn and get a handle of the matter. Or take we could do a better job.
Mistakes have been one of my greatest teachers. And one of them is to give a helping hand, encourging word or prayer instead of complaining and cricitzing.