Knox's Blog

“A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.”
Albert Einstein

The holiday season is about giving and I’d like to honor the gift that you can’t find in a mall – the gift of self. I am always moved by the many stories I hear this time of year. All across Inova, we adopt families and purchase gifts that bring a little extra holiday sparkle to disadvantaged members of our community. Many local organizations hold special events for our children in the hospital – the donated piles of toys would make any child wide-eyed with delight.

Recently, an Inova family member was unable to work for an extended period of time. The bills mounted quickly and with young children at home, she was in serious trouble, fearful of not having enough money to buy groceries. An anonymous colleague learned of the situation and stepped up with a very generous PTO donation enabling her to be compensated while out of work. Gifts from the heart leave their mark on the world forever.

The funny thing about this type of gift though is that we tend to get back way more then we give. If you’ve been in this situation, you know exactly what I’m talking about; it’s just so difficult to put into words. A friend of mine smiled knowingly at my dilemma. She told of a man who was able to help her overcome a major hurdle in her life that had her stuck and unable to move forward, mostly out of fear. He had an innate ability to see the situation clearly and objectively, call her out on her role in the matter and advise her with concise, practical and doable tasks. Within three months she was out of an abusive job situation. Several years later this man opened a retreat center four hours from here. She drove down on moving weekend and helped unload the trucks and clean the place up. It was a bit of a fixer-upper, so several work weekends were held over the next two years. “I worked every weekend that I possibly could,” she said. “Why? At first it was to express my gratitude for the gift of sanity and to ‘repay’ my debt. But after working two full days painting, cleaning, doing dishes, weeding, whatever, I would drive home exhilarated. I always left feeling that I got way more in return then what I gave. I’ve always found it so hard to explain why driving a total of eight hours and working like a dog for two days is fun.” I, too, smiled knowingly because it is such a wonderful feeling that is near impossible to explain.

The other type of gift I love, and some of the most memorable gifts, are the homemade ones. When my kids were younger, it was the clay paperweight and the artfully decorated pencil holder wrapped in construction paper. It’s been rumored that this year, Santa and his elf have been handing out homemade gifts and I’m so excited to have received mine. This is a gift brought to you by our top Inova vocalists. If you haven’t received your CD yet, contact your human resources department or you can click here to listen to the songs.

Once again, our Inova family stepped up to the plate and delivered!

The good news is that giving ourselves is a gift we are able to give year round. I am blessed to witness this often at Inova. You know you are at Inova when you hear about a colleague who gave his winter coat to a patient in need. You know you are at Inova when you have a nurse who takes the extra moment to listen. You know you are at Inova when you see a colleague escorting a lost visitor. You know you are at Inova when folks stop to ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” The greatest gift is the ability to offer ourselves.

You know you are at Inova when _________________.  (Please fill in the blank.)

All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand. – Steven Wright

Laughing lowers blood pressure. A recent study claims that laughing for half an hour every week is comparable to cutting salt from your diet or losing 10 pounds. Yup, apparently laughing releases endorphins that boost the immune system, improves blood flow and relieves physical tension and stress. So Dr. Knox is writing a prescription today for everyone to have a few laughs.

• Mario Andretti has retired from race car driving. That’s a good thing. He’s getting old. He ran his entire last race with his left blinker on. (Jon Stewart)
• Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were going camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, Holmes woke Watson and said, “Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.” Holmes said, “And what do you deduce from that?” Watson replied, “Well, if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like Earth out there. And if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.” And Holmes said, “Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent.”
• Did you hear about the agnostic-dyslexic-insomniac? He stayed up all night wondering if there really was a dog.
• A guy is sitting at home when he hears a knock at the door. He opens the door and sees a snail on the porch. He picks up the snail and throws it as far as he can. Three years later, there is a knock on the door. He opens it and sees the same snail. The snail says, “What the heck was that all about?”

And finally, a few “typos” from church bulletins:

- Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 pm. Prayer and medication to follow.
- Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
- For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Your turn! Send me your favorite (printable) joke and I’ll share with others. I could use a good laugh today too.

The holidays are fast approaching and one of my gifts from Santa this year will be a few blog entries written by you. Therefore, we are holding a small contest and the winners will join me and my blog team for lunch. In 400 words or less, submit your stories in one of the following areas:

1. Funniest holiday memories
2. Best or worst gift ever
3. What does giving mean to you

Please welcome Tony Burchard, president of the Foundation, to our Inova family. Tony is working hard to reinvent the Foundation to align with Vision 2015. One of Tony’s goals in 2012 will be to cascade information about the important parts of what the Foundation is able to provide.

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A key role for our frontline folks is to encourage patients that have had a really positive experience to share their story. We can use these stories to both learn what works well and to have one more active community member as an Inova fan and supporter.  Healthcare reform means that we have to find a more strategic way forward in resource development and we want you to be part of that journey.  What’s the most inspiring philanthropic project you’ve witnessed or been involved with at Inova?

If you are looking for Lisa Klein, you won’t find her in her usual place of business. Normally this clinical nurse specialist is on the 3rd floor of Fair Oaks Hospital, floating between Women’s, Children’s and Perinatal Services.

No, she’s not there. She’s on vacation and is giving new meaning to the term “staycation.” Lisa is hanging out in Fairfax Hospital’s NICU department, which is actually where Lisa started her Inova career in 1985. Full circle – but why? Lisa recently attended a scholarship award ceremony here at Cambridge Court. When I heard about her vacation plans, I just had to dig a little bit deeper. Don’t get me wrong, I love this place, but why in the world would you choose to vacation at Inova?

I learned that Lisa is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice at Marymount University and is doing research. Lisa isn’t looking to get a different job with her DNP.  She just wants to do her job better. Her goal is to take the research that’s already been done and see if it really works at the bedside. Lisa says that she really appreciates that Inova has always supported nursing research and is willing to practice based on evidence. Lisa also really enjoys being a mentor to other nurses.

Lisa, we appreciate you spending 2 ½ years to get a degree that will be so beneficial to so many. This reminds me of a quote I was recently sent in response to my passion blog, “I came to get; I stayed to give.” You know you’re at Inova when you see such dedication!

Enjoy your vacation, Lisa. Send a card!