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Show May 5, 2011 The Garfield County Insider the lAuGhiNg pOiNtr! EverylCounts JOB APPLICATION Not long ago, I applied for a position I was perfectly qualified for. I had strong supporters in this particular organization, letters of recommendation and fit the job description perfectly. Actually, the position Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) were duties I was already performing as an intern in this organization so the transition from intern to employee would have been seamless. There was just one unknown glitch. My time as a federal intern did not count as federal service time (only at this particular state facility, of course). None of us were aware of this. The good news? I still have my internship. The better news? Once I finish my doctoral program I can convert non competitively to a position within this organization. This recent occurrence brought me back to an analogy that I've heard over the years titled, "Welcome to Holland" by Sesame Street writer, Emily Perl Kingsley (although I had once thought that music professor and opera singer, Dr. Michael Ballam, of the University of Utah, had been the creator). Basically, Ms. Kingsley writes about how raising a special needs child (and in Kingsley's case Down's syndrome) is like you'd be free from illness traveling to Holland when and disease only to have prior to knowing you're been stricken with ALS child would be special (also known as Lou Gehneeds you were planning on rig's disease) like a childtraveling to Italy instead.. hood friend who is slowly "The important thing," deteriorating away in a says Kingsley (1987) "is wheelchair who cannot do that they haven't taken you any of the basic daily tasks to a horrible, disgusting, by himself. filthy place. It's just a difMaybe. ferent place." Maybe. And so it is with you. Maybe. Maybe you thought you "But, says Kingsley were going to live in San (1987), "if you spend your Diego, California, but in- life mourning the fact that stead you live in Garfield you didn't get to Italy, you or Wayne County, Utah may never be free to enjoy (which to me is better than the very special, the very living in San Diego). lovely things about HolMaybe you thought you land." were going to serve a misAnd so it is with me and sion for your church in a you. Look around you. Safar way and exotic place vor what you have and what like Costa Rico, Tahiti or you've got and be grateful. Morocco, but instead you Feel blessed. end up serving in New Does this mean you can York in the Harlem area, or never go to Italy? Torrance, California, just Of course not. outside of Los Angeles, or But as you do, make sure Detroit, Michigan, near the you are celebrating Holinfamous and dangerous 8 land. Mile Road. Cynthia Kimball is a Maybe you thought you professional speaker, trainwere going to have the white er and doctoral student in picket fence, the five beau- workforce education leadtiful and perfect children, ership. Her column, "Evthe tall, dark, handsome ery 1Counts," appears reghusband with a million- ularly in the Deseret News dollar job or the stunning- and on deseretnews. corn. Elizabeth Taylor or Angela She can be reached at kimJolie looking wife. ball@every 1 counts. net. Maybe you thought LIVING A BETTER LIFE WITH OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Occupational therapy: skills for the job of living. This is one of the first concepts I learned in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. Here I have learned that as an occupational therapist (OT) I will be able to use my interests and skills to make a huge impact on the lives of others. Now, as I approach graduation, I want to share some of my knowledge about OT and how it can benefit the people from my hometown community. So what is an OT? An OT helps individuals of all ages learn independent skills needed to participate in everyday life. We, as human beings, all have our own way in which we participate in daily activities. We all brush our teeth a certain way, we all put our pants on a certain way, and we all have our own personal routines that we partake in each and every day. These routines, meaningful activities, and how we choose to spend our time are called our occupations—our day to day activities. These "occupations" can be further broken down into three categories: self care (i.e., eating, sleeping, dressing, grooming, bathing, and toileting), work (i.e., performing any task that exerts energy), and leisure (i.e., our free time, hobbies, socializing, traveling, etc.). Throughout our lifetime we can experience unpredicted health complications or injuries that prevent us from functioning in one or more of our daily occupations. These complica- tions are diagnoses such as diabetes, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, limb amputations, cancer, joint replacements, or any age-related issues we experience due to the normal aging process. An OT has specific knowledge and skills to help those who are affected by these illnesses. The focus of an OT is to help the person live a happy, safe, and meaningful life no matter what the health complication may be. An OT does this by providing interventions to help the person recover or adapt to the new situation and continue living as independent as possible. This includes educating the patient on healthy living techniques, medication management, adapting the home to create a safer living environment, providing adaptive equipment for everyday tasks, and mak- An applicant was filling out a job application. When he came to the question, "Have you ever been arrested?" he wrote, "No." The next question, intended for people who had answered in the affirmative to the previous question, was "Why?" The applicant answered it anyway: "Never got caught." SCRUBBING BULKHEADS I was scrubbing a bulkhead on the USS Kitty Hawk one Sunday morning when the loud-speaker announced: "Religious services. Maintain silence about the decks. Discontinue all unnecessary work." An hour later, the opinion many of us held regarding our daily routine, was confirmed with this announcement: "Resume all unnecessary work." It Makes Sense...By Veda Hale In our family we have the "grandpa rule" which I have written about before. It came about because so many of us, as kids, went with grandpa to the farm, ranch or sheep herd and often found ourselves in a situation where we were stuck in the truck waiting for him to finish some task or rescue some animal or fix a broken dam or something. When we reached the end of tolerance, he would come. So now, when in waiting for change, we remember that just a little longer and it will come. Well, this week I received the following 5 minute rule that a person who used to live in Panguitch for a short time sent me. She doesn't want her name used, but said I could share it. She calls it the "Magic number rule", or just "the magic 5 minute rule. It sure reminded me of our "Grandfather rule". She wrote: BILL PAYING A wholesale dealer who had a lot of trouble in getting a certain retailer to pay his bills finally lost patience and wrote the merchant a threatening letter. He received the following reply: "Dear Sir: What do you mean by writing me a letter like that? Every month I place all my bills in a hat and then figure out how much money I have to pay on my accounts. Then I have my bookkeeper draw as many bills out of the hat as I have money to pay. If you don't like my way of doing business, I won't even put your bills in the hat." "When something happens that I may perceive as upsetting, I take a deep breath and count to five while inhaling and count to five while exhaling. During this practice I put my mind gears in neutral, and do not allow myself to have a thought, one way or another. I keep doing this until my initial patterned reaction of anger, frustration, or upset has subsided.This is wonderful...and the side effect is peace. I tell you, this one alone has been a miracle for me, at crucial times Also, I have a five minute rule. When I break something or a 'disastrous' mess happens around me. I say to myself...."This will only take 5 minutes to clean up." I broke something I really valued a few days ago and I wanted to get into my story about how upset I was but instead I just kept with the above statement and did not hook into a story that would not give me peace of mind. The funny thing is , I can't remember what it was that I broke now. Apparently it wasn't THAT important. I also use the five minute rule to apply to housework or chores. I see a messy area or dishes or weeds etc....and I say to myself, "I bet I can take five minutes and make a difference here." (This 5 minute idea might be a good one to use with kids, when they have made messes or you want them to get a chore done.) Sometimes I just get into it and take more time getting the job done and sometimes, it only takes me five minutes, but the initial inertia has disappeared." Makes sense to me. Send suggestions to Veda Hale Box 956 Panguitch, Utah or email vedahale@ hotmail.com —11 ‘11111 ing any other accommodation the patient may need to live the most fulfilling and healthy life possible. Throughout my studies, I have learned that OT is an excellent career choice for anyone that wants to make a difference and find meaning in their career. I have enjoyed studying in this profession and anticipate graduating with my Masters degree in the spring of 2012. I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in this field to find a program and go for it—it is a profession with endless rewards. I also encourage anyone who would like OT services to ask their primary doctor. For more information about OT and the services an OT can provide, go to the American Occupational Therapy Association website at www.aota.org and click on "About Occupational Therapy." COLOR COUNTRY FLOORING, LLC For air yourflooring needs CARPET • LAMINATE PRE FINISHED WOOD ENGINEERED WOOD • VINYL • TILE Call for an appointment today 435-676-8997 or 435-690-9909. Free estimates Locally owned by Tony & Sonni Beckstead Come see us at our NEW LOCATION 30 WEST CENTER - PANGUITCH It's Get suggd.choice, Getting a regular health screening is one of the most important steps you can take to manage your health – even if you think you're healthy. 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