Joe Howe Actually Paid for Something!

I will share this story only because I know Joe will enjoy it and the entire Math faculty will never let him live this down.

Joe and Melissa Howe bought, built and just closed on a fabulous new house. In celebration, he invited some Math faculty friends and two staff friends…Kelley from Student Activities and me for beverages at Old Hickory. For me to actually get invited to attend something full of Math professors is more hilarious than you know…but we have worked together for many years, I was invited and it was a tough week.

Like I said, the Ta-Dah was at Old Hickory Golf Course and Joe offered to buy everyone their first beverage. Food? On your own. Andy Stephan was starving – I guess this is nothing new – and ordered a huge plate of nacho’s. He realized he couldn’t eat them all so he offered the plate up to anyone at the table. Joe was so funny-and everyone knew what was coming. He started chastising Andy for ordering food and not eating it. “You always do this!” Joe said. “You always order food and only eat half – what a waste of money!” Everyone was laughing because this was typical Joe and typical Andy.

The next day I was sharing the lovely evening with our Enrollment Services staff and one colleague who we refer lovingly to as ‘Maxine’ said, “did moths come out of his wallet?” You see, Joe has a reputation of being frugal and my friend is oftentimes compared to Maxine due to her dry comedic sense of humor. She holds nothing back and is hilarious, just like the crusty old lady portrayed on the Hallmark greeting cards.

Everyone loves Joe – especially his fellow Mathematicians. The Department is always pranking him and in addition to instilling math wisdom to our students, they all seem to have a whole lot of fun. What more could one want in a job! I can’t wait until the Howe’s finally move in so we can see their new place. In anticipation of the “We’re In Party!” we have already divvied up who’s bringing the plastic.

‘When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head. . .’

Yesterday, I ran my hand through my hair while driving and the most overwhelming feeling hit me right then and there on Central School Road. No, I was not impressed with just how soft my new hair was.

Crazy freakin’ feelings had taken over my body. They were screaming, ‘Oh my God, do you know why your hair is sticking up right now in the center of your head? Do you realize you just went through chemotherapy, multiple surgeries…what if you would have died, what if you were still going through all this crap, what if it comes back” Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!’

And just like The B-52’s so eloquently sang, ‘the blues had officially whomped me on the side of the head.’

So, this ‘whomping’ left me in a funk for the rest of the day, and I woke up today feeling about the same.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY:
Went for my morning coffee at Starbucks and one of the crew members, Joe (not his real name) asked if he could ask me a question. He said, ’my mom is going through her third bout of breast cancer and this time it is terminal. What can I do to cheer her up?’

Man, not at all, what I expected. I had assumed it would be a question about SCC. After a quick conversation with Joe, I came up with some ideas. I knew how I could help. Got in my car and wrote down the ideas because my memory is not so great.

And guess what? That ‘whomping’ feeling that I had experienced earlier had disappeared.

By focusing my attention on someone else, I felt better. Not only did talking with Joe distract me from my own craziness, but I found myself feeling grateful for my own diagnosis and prognosis.

Jeez, I thought I had problems. I am not saying that I did not have a right to my own feelings – that is not healthy either - but there is a point where you need to move forward and focus on the present moment rather than ruminating in the past or fretting about the future.

Thus helping someone else helped me. It is such a simple concept. And I did not need a prescription nor a shot of whiskey.

By reaching out, connecting and helping others, you cannot help but feel better. And maybe you will not know the outcome of your assistance but does that really matter?

The act of helping can be as simple as opening a door for someone or as complicated as helping a three-legged dog cross the street. So, as my friends The B-52's say,

‘When the Blues Whomp You Up On the Side of the Head. . .’

try helping someone.