TMI Tuesday: Appointments

It seems that whenever we take our son to the doctor there is always another appointment to be scheduled. Thankfully, he is actually pretty good in the waiting room and even on the examination table so long as we are there and there is plenty of tissue paper to play with. However, the service that we have received from his current pediatrician has fallen far short of the expectations of quality care. The last two appointments are indicative of this level of service.

With our overachieving son deciding to cut about a half dozen teeth at the same time, we have run into a few bumps both during the night and throughout the day. It has interrupted his sleep patterns which have always been pretty good and it has had an impact on his eating. While he is still healthy and generally happy he does have his moments and once things had continued for some time we decided to bring him in to see the doctor. Keep in mind that this was after we called and were told to bring him in to see said doctor if things continued.

While I am not usually a stickler for these things when I make an appointment to see the doctor, especially when acting upon their own advice, don’t give us a hard time making the appointment and make sure that we see the doctor not just someone you call “doctor”. On top of that, it would be nice if this “doctor” would follow the same plan as the actual doctor instead of contradicting almost everything that we have been told and arguing with us each time we said anything.

That was just the first example. The second is the fact that one of the nurses, who too frequently handle the appointments, insisted that we take our son to an Ophthalmologist because he would probably need either glasses or a temporary eye patch. I honestly never noticed a lazy eye but we made the appointment to get it checked out and my wife and I spent some time trying to figure out how to deal with this new situation as we waited for the scheduled day to arrive. A couple of weeks ago, we took our son to see the specialist and it didn’t take but maybe 10 seconds for him to tell us that there was nothing wrong.

It wasn’t even a question… he found nothing. And, while he wasn’t about to say anything directly, we had a little conversation about how we should have probably never been sent there. Nice to have a professional back up the opinion that I have already been forming in my head about the current office. Needless to say, it has not been an easy experience and continued to be a difficult process simply getting someone on the phone at times as well as every time we try to schedule an appointment. Goes to show, sometimes the most well-meaning opinions and advice that you received about a place beforehand are, at the very least, subjective and experience is what really matters.

Teaching Zen On The Tennis Court

For most of us, no matter how much we enjoy our job we look forward to leaving our work at the office and forgetting about all the ins and outs of our weekly tasks as soon as we get home (or as soon as you walk into the next room for those of you who work at home). Of course, there are some people who are lucky enough to have found a job that really isn’t work. They are driven people who enjoy every day and live their passion.

This is the life of Carlos Girola who developed his passion growing up in Argentina and now serves as the Tennis Director at the Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Carlos doesn’t work; he lives his passion and gets paid for it. At yesterday’s Rotary meeting we had the pleasure of hearing him speak with such admiration, respect, and passion for how he makes a living that I couldn’t help but be impressed with his lifelong pursuit of the sport and desire to impart the love of the game in others.

According to Carlos, some of his greatest and most satisfying professional accomplishments include earning his USPTA Pro 1 certification, teaching wheelchair tennis for three years, building a tennis center in South Africa in1991, and introducing tennis as recreational therapy for mentally ill patients. He started teaching tennis in 1981 at age 17 when his coach offered him a position at a club in Argentina. “I became a teaching pro because I love tennis and I make people of all ages happy by teaching and promoting the game,” he says.

Carlos enjoys every day on the court with his students. No matter what the age, ability, background, or build he believes that everyone can experience the almost transcendental state that all tennis players experience whether they are professionals, amateurs, or novices. All it takes is some basic abilities and techniques, all of which can be taught, in order for someone to experience the Zen of a long rally.

It is this perspective and appreciation of the sport and how it applies to everyone, not just the enthusiasts, which differentiates Carlos from many other teachers that I have come across in various sports. Not everyone has the talent, drive, and unwillingness to lose that the greats of the game have (he mentioned Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras as prime examples of this) and you don’t need them. All it takes is an interest and a basic understanding of the game in order to develop a lifelong enthusiasm for the court.

Unlike many athletic endeavors, tennis is one that is adaptable to the time in someone’s life. Whether age, injury, or simply a lack of time, these can all be taken into account so that the sport remains ever present in life. Carlos is able to break down the basics of the game and the needs of the player (contrary to the wants that we all have) in order to maintain a level that will satisfy the need to play and keep the enthusiasm for the sport in their heart.

Professionals like Carlos are the reason why the US Open is the highest drawing annual sporting event in the country. As is the case with many sports there are many knowledgeable professional with which you can speak and learn about the game. However, there aren’t nearly as many great teachers who can impart that knowledge and enthusiasm in others in a way that can be applied to the court. It is teachers like Carlos Girola who are truly advancing the sport and serving as the catalyst for the passion that tennis needs to thrive in this county.