The "Peer Mentoring and Empathetic Listening", edition.

iPad shuffled to Sam and Dave, "I Thank You".  Stax music.  Thumbs up. The module has had the remote control for a while.  I guess they caught the theif who liked Comcast remote controls. (What?).   Greenfield Health Systems had the quarterly meeting for the peer mentors. Four of us who were trained last year were there in addition to others who have been identified for training.  We represent the different dialysis centers in the metro detroit area. Getting a room full of dialysis patients is interesting...and predictable.  Everyone wants to tell their story.  Lol. The introduction script calls for name, dialysis center, and why you want to be a mentor.  It goes off the rails at the last item. I guess I lose my empathy when 10 people go on and on. I need to fix that. But they go into such detail :(   I told Brian they need to write a blog.  I was being bad.  I'm so sorry.

Gold Digger, Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx. Liked it first time heard it.  I also get distracted when the mentors start testifying and witnessing.  We're here for peer mentoring topics, issues and training.  They are also not aware or don't care that everyone is not Christian or their brand of Christian.  Some people like to keep their religion, faith or spiritually private. This attitude can cause issues when you mentor. If the patient is Muslim, Hindu, agnostic or an atheist or anything else and the first thing that comes from the mentor is a Christian platitude, you've lost the patient.  Your mentoring is useless.  Right off the bat, you haven't even listened.  You've assumed.  If the patient brings up religion, that's fine.  But the mentor cannot.  Mentoring is all about the patient. 

Isaac Hayes, "Never Can Say Goodbye".  That voice. :)   Back to dialysis patients sharing stories. I get it. And who else is going to understand ( and empathize ) more than fellow patients.  We get it.  But listening to bunch of them, lasting for 10 minutes, is tedious.  I give credit to the social workers, though. They let them (us) go on.  My facilitation and manager skills kick in...let's move this along.  Perhaps we need to schedule a separate session just to talk and vent and share.  This meeting is not the platform for this.  So hard to hold my tongue.  Lol. It is not my meeting.  Stay on the agenda!!!!  I'll fix my attitude and will attempt to try not get so annoyed next time!

The Sugerhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight". Long version. I remember when and where I first heard this.  Lol.   World Kidney Day is this Thursday.  The idea is encourage kidney health awareness and organ transplant awareness. I'll continue to post the kidney health quiz through Thursday.  Also the National Kidney Foundation - Michigan walk is Sunday, May 18, 2014, 8:30 at the Detroit Zoo.  

Last year my team, Pat's Adventures raised over $400.00. Four of us walked, including my family and my friend Mike. I'd like to have more people join me walking this year.  Please consider joining me.  They feed you and have a lot of "swag".  (An attempt at bribery.). Check out the link for more information or contact me.  The admission to the zoo is free and you are free to enjoy the zoo for the rest of the day after the walk.  :)  Last year I used a cane. This year I'm cane free!   Hope you can join us. 

I'm getting great joy watching the snow melt. It's been here since at least January 6 (the 10 inch blizzard ). Signing off with Ramsay Lewis with Earth Wind and Fire, "Sun Goddess".  Still good listening. :)

Michigan National Kidney Foundation Walk