Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2017-30

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IN THIS ISSUE

• In Heroic Stories, a patient pays grateful tribute to his doctor
• Shirley Conlon sends examples of kids´ quick thinking
• Carol Hansen maintains that attitude is everything
• Tom Telfer sends examples of AMA reactions to proposed health care bill
• Gardening is good for your health
• Phyllis Diller was one funny woman
• Sites are suggested by Tom Telfer

In Heroic Stories, a patient pays tribute to

DR. TIM

Over 25 years ago a friend recommended a doctor to me. The doctor had a private practice and his office was nearby. Best of all, he favored "preventive and natural medicine," important to me as I seem to be allergic to half the substances known to mankind. Foods, chemicals, dyes - you name it, I´m allergic.

I appreciated he was a small business owner, being one myself. I didn´t have insurance, because one month of insurance cost more than I usually spent in three years at the doctor. (Even 25 years ago, policies for one person are extremely expensive.)

So I went to see Doctor Tim. He was a great guy, very helpful, very respectful. Afterwards, the gal at the front desk printed out a bill for $80. As I was writing my check, Doctor Tim came up, took the bill, drew a line across it, and wrote in "$60.00."

I was floored. "Look," he said, "if we bill an insurance company, it takes an incredible amount of our time, energy and money. Insurance companies don´t pay the full amount of the bill, and it takes a long time for us to be paid. People who pay in the moment deserve to pay less. It´s still better for us."

"Wow, thanks!" I replied.

Years later, Doc Tim joined a big medical business in my metro area, in charge of one of their offices. At that big business, still uninsured, I had to pay full price. Then one day the front desk clerk said, "If you´re paying today, self-insured, there´s 20 percent off your bill." Amazing.

Next time I told Doc Tim, "Great news on the 20 percent off!"

He said, "Let me tell you a story about that.

"I went to meetings for two years, saying that I thought our self-insured customers deserved this. People finally agreed. But the computer guys said they had to change the system to accommodate it. Next meeting, same conversation.

"Finally, after two years, I sent a bill out front with the instructions, ´Take 20 percent off, patient is self-pay.´ The front desk did just that. Soon my phone lit up with the billing department, ´Why did you do this?´

"I told them I did it because they´d been talking about it for years, plenty of time to get it done, and I was going to continue. Within one month, the 20 percent off was in the computers, system-wide, for all our locations."

Needless to say, my jaw dropped. One person, one conviction to do what was right, thousands of patients paying a more "fair" rate, probably still more money than insurance companies paid. Imagine how many people, how many families that would help over the years.

It´s probably been 10 years. I still don´t see the doctor often. But when I do, there´s 20 percent off my bill. On my behalf, and the thousands of people who don´t know the story: Thank you, Doctor Tim!

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Shirley Conlon sends these examples that illustrate that

CHILDREN ARE QUICK

Teacher: Why are you late?
Student: Class started before I got here.

Teacher: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
John: You told me to do it without using tables.

Teacher: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
Glenn: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L
Teacher: No, that's wrong.
Glenn: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

Teacher: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
Donald: H I J K L M N O.
Teacher: What are you talking about?
Donald: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

Teacher: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
Winnie: Me!

TEACHER: Fred, why do you always get so dirty?
Fred: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

Teacher: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louis, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
Louis: Because George still had the ax in his hand.

Teacher: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
Simon: No sir, I don't have to. My Mum is a good cook.

Teacher: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
Clyde : No, sir. It's the same dog.

Teacher: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
Harold: A teacher.

Carol Hansen sends this philosophical story about

ATTITUDE

A famous writer was in his study. He picked up his pen and began writing: "Last year, my gallbladder was removed. I was stuck in bed due to this surgery for a long time.

"The same year I reached the age of 60 and had to give up my favourite job. I had spent 30 years of my life with this publishing company.

"The same year I experienced the death of my father.

"In the same year my son failed in his medical exam because he had a car accident. He had to stay in the hospital with a cast on his leg for several days. And the destruction of the car was a second loss."

His concluding statement: "Alas! It was such a bad year!"

When the writer´s wife entered the room, she found her husband looking dejected, sad, and lost in his thoughts.

She carefully and surreptitiously read what he had written, and silently left the room. She came back shortly with another piece of paper on which she had written her summary of the year´s events, and placed it beside her husband´s paper.

When her husband saw that she had written something in response to his account of the year´s events, he read:

"Last year I finally got rid of my gallbladder which had given me many years of pain. I turned 60 with sound health and retired from my job. Now I can utilize my time to write better and with more focus and peace.

"The same year my father, at the age of 95, without depending on anyone and without any critical conditions, met his Creator.

"The same year, God blessed my son with life. My car was destroyed, but my son was alive and without permanent disability."

At the end she wrote: "This year was an immense blessing and it passed well!"

The same incidents but different viewpoints.

MORAL: In our daily lives we must see that it´s not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. There is always, always something to be thankful for.

Attitude is everything. And attitude is the one thing that we always, in every circumstance, have control over.

Tom Telfer forwards these reactions to

THE U.S. PRESIDENT´S NEW HEALTH CARE PACKAGE

The American Medical Association has weighed in on the proposed Trump Care:

The allergists voted to scratch it, but the dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

The obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the pediatricians said, "Oh, grow up!"

The psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the plastic surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."

The podiatrists thought it was a step backward, but the urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

The anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the cardiologists didn´t have the heart to say no.

In the end, the proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.

DIGGING IN THE DIRT MAKES YOU HAPPY

"It came to me while picking beans, the secret of happiness. I was hunting among the spiraling vines that envelop my teepees of pole beans, lifting the dark-green leaves to find handfuls of pods, long and green, firm and furred with tender fuzz. I snapped them off where they hung in slender twosomes, bit into one, and tasted nothing but August.…" - from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

For anyone who has spent time cultivating a garden - vegetable, landscaping with ornamentals, or a bit of both - there´s no question about its mood-boosting quality. Even a potted plant or two can have an uplifting effect.

During my most bleak times in dealing with depression and bone-crushing fatigue, the simple act of caring for an outdoor plant by watering and plucking the dead bits has had a near miraculous effect, with a tangible boost in energy and overall brighter outlook. Whether this shift is attributed to the fresh air, slowing down to appreciate a bit of greenery, or nurturing another living thing, the entire experience tends to border on the mysterious. Whatever the reason, one aspect is clear: gardening is strong medicine.

The Power of Soil-Based Organisms for Health and Happiness

Science has shown time and again that spending time in nature - along with playing in the dirt and gardening - has a powerful impact on our physiological and psychological health. Over the last decade, researchers have explored why soil microbes improve the nutritional value of our food and why rural children - like those who live on farms - are far healthier than their city-dwelling counterparts.

Clean air, water, and fresh produce aside, one of the main factors for the health of farm-living kids boils down to soil microbes. As it turns out, these microbes help develop healthy human immune systems. Not only that, but soil organisms can boost our production of serotonin - a feel-good neurotransmitter that keeps anxiety and depression at bay.

- Carolanne Wright

THE WISDOM OF PHYLLIS DILLER

Phyllis Diller was an American stand-up comedian, actress, singer, dancer, and voice artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, her self-deprecating humor, her outrageous hair and clothes.

I want my children to have all the things I couldn´t afford. Then I want to move in with them.

Most children threaten at times to run away from home. This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.

Any time three New Yorkers get into a cab without an argument, a bank has just been robbed.

We spend the first twelve months of our children´s lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve years telling them to sit down and shut up.

Burt Reynolds once asked me out. I was in his room.

What I don´t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.

The only time I ever enjoyed ironing was the day I accidentally got gin in the steam iron.

His finest hour lasted a minute and a half.

Old age is when the liver spots show through your gloves.

My photographs don´t do me justice - they look just like me.

Tranquilizers work only if you follow the advice on the bottle - keep away from children.

I asked the waiter, ´Is this milk fresh?´ He said, ´Lady, three hours ago it was grass.´

The reason the golf pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can´t see him laughing.

You know you´re old if they have discontinued your blood type.

SUGGESTED SITES

Tom Telfer sends this link to a video of crazy teeterboard flips:

Tom also forwards the URL for a mashup of 66 movie dance scenes to the tune of "Can´t Stop the Feeling":

Moyo, the orphaned baby elephant, makes himself at home in an animal shelter. And I think my cat is destructive!

In this TED talk, Dean Ornish talks about simple, low-tech, and low-cost ways to take advantage of the body´s natural desire to heal itself:

Click on this site to send a message to your MP asking that lakes and rivers in your community be protected:

Architect Grace Kim discusses her theory that cohousing can make us happier - and live longer:

Here are 10 reasons why Japan´s schools are so good:

From the BBC, here is a video of what happens when a town is invaded by elk during mating season:

This video maintains the Bitcoin is unstoppable. I still don´t understand it, but that doesn´t mean it isn´t viable: