Several years ago, shortly after purchasing my very first vehicle and gaining the ability to drive, I went on a retreat with a group from college.   On the way home, with my friend Becky snoozing in the passenger seat, I cruised along the highway, following as the road led. 

Over a half hour later, Becky awakened from her nap and asked, “How far are we from home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you even know where we are?”

“Nope,” I replied with a grin, confident that we would eventually reach our destination.

Despite the huge detour we made as well as the additional time it took to return home, I knew I would eventually accomplish the task, and I even enjoyed the new discoveries along the way. 

Doesn’t this story symbolize what we have been experiencing this week with all the changes in Quest?  Even though these changes have not been easy and have altered the way we perform patient care, I personally do know that I have made many new discoveries this week and truly believe that these change will benefit our patients in the long run.   Moreover, we have the support and companionship of each other to guide us through the process.  Though change is never easy, it is an inevitable part of living, especially regarding our professions in the medical environment.

Therefore, we must determine our attitude towards these changes; as I have heard, “it’s not the situation itself but how you respond to it.”  My father frequently quoted to me, “Attitude is everything.”  Along these lines, in an excerpt entitiled “Attitude,” Charles Swindoll stated:

“…The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

So, despite all the stress and anxiety over these changes with Quest and our patient care, we all have one of two choices to make: be miserable through these changes or relish and build on the new learning opportunities that we have in our ministry to the community and with each other.

What choice will you make?

It is totally up to you!