A man tells a story about a second date. He had planned for a perfect night. He made the reservations and dressed in his best. He arrived on time. He brought flowers and he opened the car door for his date. Dinner was spectacular. All went as planned.
But, on the way home, a tire went flat. His date expected (as most of us would) a ‘normal’ reaction of anger and frustration. But all he could do was laugh and say, “Good timing. Costco is having a tire sale!”
Season 4, Episode 4 of The Good Doctor, features a patient that exhibits an incredible acceptance of all types of bad news while being treated in the hospital for cancer.
Here is the way the conversations went.
Dr. Reznick is saying, “You have amelanotic melanoma. Skin Cancer. But there’s good news. We should be able to remove all of it. We can do it today.”
Dr. Park enters the room. “Sorry. Car Trouble.”
Billy. “Hi, Dr. Park.”
Dr. Reznick informs Dr. Park, “Just telling Billy about his cancer.”
Billy mentions to Dr. Park, “I got a great mechanic for you. If you tell her Billy sent you, she’ll give you a friends-and-family. (Chuckles)
Dr. Park replies, “OK. Thanks for that. You have an amazing attitude!”
Billy explains, “You know, my wife used to tease me about that. She died three years ago.”
Dr. Reznick, “I’m sorry.”
Billy replies with the story that was told at the beginning of this article. The girl on the second date had become his wife.
He continues, “It’s Addy’s Auto, Los Gatos, and Gateway.”
Later, after the surgery, Billy is laying in his bed.
Dr. Resnick is very serious now as she informs Billy, “The leak in your bile duct has caused an infection that could lead to peritonitis. We’ve got you on multiple aggressive antibiotics, but this infection acts very quickly.”
Billy notes, “Well, I feel fine. Dopey, but fine.”
Doctor Resnick frowns, “Billy, do you understand what I just told you?”
Billy (still with a silly grin), “I might die tonight. I get it.”
Dr. Resnick inquires about this positive attitude, “What … How do you do it?”
Billy says chucking, “I’ve had worse days.” With a sign he continues, “The day after Linda died, I went to buy a gun. Never used one before, but I figured, “How hard could it be to put it in my mouth and pull the trigger?"
"On my way to the store, I saw a car parked on the side of the road with a flat. A couple of kids, who (he laughs), clearly didn’t know what the heck they were doing. And for some reason, I pulled over and changed their tire.”
“As I was leaving, I told them, ‘Good timing. Costco’s got a sale on tires.’
That’s when I heard Linda’s laughter. “Hey, dummy. If you kill yourself, who’s gonna change the next tire?”
“That’s what saved my life. Just wanting to help people. Makes life worthwhile.”
I know. It's just television. But there are lessons all around us if we see and hear. There's not any true north with this article. There's only contemplation for each of us.
- What makes life worthwhile?
- What gets in the way of making life worthwhile?
- Why do we let it get in the way?
- When will we take the necessary action?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3-10
Credit: Transcripts Forever Dreaming
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