American Idol

Another season of "American Idol" has begun. Once again people all across the country will gather at the water coolers of American businesses to discuss the relative talents of several talentless fools who hope to become the next "Idol".

Night after night, the TV news devotes several minutes of airtime to discussing the performance of sports teams and players. Many will be held up as "heroes" and people to be idolized. Many of those will turn out to be drug users, adulterors, and sometimes murderers. ( if the glove fits...)

The Grammy's the Emmy's, American Music Awards, the list goes on and on. We are obsessed with idolizing actors, music stars, sports figures, and TV stars. Wby? because they live lifestyles that most can only dream of. In our country oppulent lifestyle is something to dream about and idolize others for. Believe it or not, this is still the land of opportunity and anyone...no, everyone has the same opportunity to rise to the level of their dreams, if only they dare too. That however is not the purpose of this post...

I spent yesterday riding along with and observing a team of people that have devoted their careers to truly serving others. They are the doctors, nurses, and pilots of MetroHealth Centers' Lifeflight. I had a chance to fly with them, and see first hand how they think and perform.

As we flew I observed their compassion and committment. I observed the compassion of the doctors and nurses on the ground.

When we had a break, I went up to the seventh floor of Metro, where my wife is a nurse. It was the first time I had a chance to see where she works. She is on a trauma floor. Her patients usually earn their 15 minutes of fame on the 11:00 news. They are usually not the cream of society. She and her collegues put up with a lot of crap as they tend to the care and healing of these people. Some of her patients are there due to accidents. Many are there due to violence; shot, or stabbed. Some of her patients are average everyday good people caught up in circumstances beyond their control. Regardless of who they are, or how they got there, they get the same treatment.

Like most of society, the patients that are transported by Lifeflight, or who are cared for by people like my wife, will watch American Idol, The Superbowl, The World Series, The Emmy Awards and so on... They are looking for heroes. They are looking in the wrong places.

I found my hero...She works on 7B at MetroHealth Center.