Wow, This Is Really Cool!!
Author © Scott D. Zachary
July 24, 2015
Therapist, Marsha Lowery, walked down the hallway in front of me. “How are you today, Scott?”
“Fantastic! If I spent even one nanosecond trying to think how my life could be any better, I’d be damn greedy.”
Marsha swiveled abruptly to observe my facial expression. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Marsha led me into her office and pointed at a chair facing her desk. “Have a seat, Scott.”
I sat down and handed my “Summary of Achievements” to Marsha. (see list of accomplishments January 2013 through July 2015 at the end of this story). She perused it as I spoke. “Five years ago, I was treated for severe suicidal depression in the Crisis Stabilization Unit here at RiverValley Behavioral Health. Dr. Vance put me on lithium. Since then, I’ve had no problems whatsoever concerning my mental health, physical health, spiritual health, emotions, personal or professional relationships, work, finances, et cetera.” I paused as I watched Marsha continue reading. “My life has been fantastic since I began taking lithium! I’ve made significant contributions to the communities in which I’ve lived, and I’ve substantially improved the well-being of populations overseas. In fact, my wife Bobbie and I are going to Nicaragua in two weeks where I will be Team Lead for the Optical Clinic of a Christian medical mission. This will be my seventh medical mission to Central America in three years.”
“So you’re an optometrist?” Marsha inquired.
“No, I’m a systems analyst and programmer by trade. I attended EMT school, Nurse Aide school, and Optometry school in the evenings and weekends to prepare myself for going on Christian medical missions.”
“You have quite an impressive list here, Scott. Is there anything you haven’t done?”
“Yes, ma’am, but I’m working on them.”
“Is Bobbie able to keep up with you?”
“Most of the time. When Bobbie gets a little bleary-eyed, I tell her to take a break.”
“I see, and you are here today because...?”
“I now have exactly one problem in my life—I’m running out lithium.”
“I’m not authorized to prescribe lithium for you, Scott.”
“I understand that. I saw Dr. Basit here for several years. When she left, I tried to get a psychiatrist in Florence, Kentucky, where I live and got the runaround up there for the past year. Then, as my lithium prescription was running out, I tried to make an appointment to see a psychiatrist here. They said I needed to see a therapist first. Would you please make an appointment for me to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible?”
Marsha made a phone call. “It’ll be the end of August before a doctor can see you.”
“In that case, I’ll just go ahead and cancel my optical mission to Nicaragua—I’m not going without lithium. Dr. Vance and Dr. Basit prescribed 600 mg of lithium daily. Since my prescription began running out a month ago, I’ve been rationing myself 150 mg a day. I have enough to get me through another week if I reduce my dosage to 75 mg a day. I don’t think you want to let one of your big success stories crash and burn, do you?”
Marsha made another phone call. “There are no doctors on staff today. Is next Friday okay?”
“Yes. Thank you, Marsha. I can jump out of that plane tomorrow without a single problem in the world to contemplate.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
July 31, 2015
I immediately liked Dr. Harmon’s informal air, warm smile, and untucked Chicago Cubs shirttails. I sat down in the center seat facing Dr. Harmon’s desk and placed the large shopping bag between my feet. “I always treated my visits with Dr. Basit like show-and-tell time.”
Dr. Harmon nodded his acknowledgment. “That’s what it should be.”
I handed him a copy of the “Summary of Achievements” document that I had given Marsha a week earlier (see the document at the end of this story). “This is a list of my accomplishments since I last saw Dr. Basit in 2013.” I sat back and watched Dr. Harmon’s awed expression magnify as he eagerly read. When it was clear that he had read most of the document, I reached into my shopping bag and pulled out a 2.5-inch binder. “I began writing my autobiography in November of last year. So far, I’ve written twenty-two short-story memoirs for a total of 259 pages.” I laid the binder on Dr. Harmon’s desk.
He intently studied my strikingly unusual book cover.
“I designed the book cover myself. It needs a tiny bit of tweaking, but it’s pretty much there. Inside the cover is a spreadsheet in which I’ve broken my life into thirteen epochs. So far, under those epochs, I’ve listed a total of 81 envisioned short stories, and that number keeps going up. I write the stories randomly as the sparkle hits me. When I finish all of the short stories, I will blend them into the story of my life, describing my journey through alcoholism and bipolar disorder to becoming a Christian medical missionary.”
Dr. Harmon closely examined the eight-page spreadsheet, each of the 81 stories represented by a color-coded bar-graph depicting its stage of completion along with the story title, general notes, start and completion dates, number of pages, and total words.
“My wonderful wife Bobbie and I work closely on my memoirs; she’s my editor. We’ve worked intensively for as many as three hours shaping one paragraph—a solid hour striving to achieve the desired inflection in one sentence of that paragraph. It’s fun!”
He glanced up at me quizzically as if he was going to say something, and then dove headlong back into my life. He slid his index finger down the column of story titles, chose one, flipped open the binder’s tab for that title, and voraciously read a couple of pages. I quietly sat and watched Dr. Harmon do this repeatedly, digesting the detail and quality of my work. It was a treat for me to watch a learned man, nearly my age, scour my life with child-like eagerness as he tried to wrap his mind around the magnitude of my endeavor. Wholly absorbed in my book, he blurted, “Wow, this is really cool!!”
I don’t think Dr. Harmon had any idea how much his exuberant expression would inspire me, nor how many times it would echo in my head, stoking my already fervent desire to make this the best book that I can make it. But he would begin to know six months down the line.
“I think it’s awesome that you and your wife work together on this!”
“It would finish off most marriages,” I speculated, “especially those stressed with insecurities, but I think it makes ours stronger. When I was writing my first book thirteen years ago, I was initially ultra-defensive about Bobbie’s massive corrections. I’d write several pages, polish it to the hilt, and then give it to her to edit. She might as well have taken a big red paintbrush to it. I couldn’t believe she’d find so many problems in my painstakingly meticulous writing. I get excited now when I give Bobbie a story to edit because I know it’s going to be a lot better when she gets done with it. During our reviews of her corrections, about sixty percent of the time, I say ‘I like it.’ Roughly ten percent of the time, I say ‘I like it the way it is,’ and Bobbie grins saying ‘There’s plenty of time to revisit it.’ And the other thirty percent, I say ‘I like where you’re headed, but let’s work with it,’ and we have a blast sculpting the words until we are both perfectly pleased with the result.”
I opened my professionally bound life resume to the letters of recommendation from my EMT and Nurse Aide instructors and gave them to Dr. Harmon to read. Lastly, I showed him the ornate “Diploma de Reconocimiento” (Diploma of Recognition) that the Mayor of Rancho Grande, Nicaragua, presented to our optical team during my previous Christian medical mission. I interpreted to Dr. Harmon the Mayor’s gratitude for the valuable improvement that our optometry team contributed to the quality of life and well-being of the population of Rancho Grande. I closed my show-and-tell session by asking Dr. Harmon, “Do any of your other patients bring in stuff like this to show you?”
“No.”
“Dr. Basit never required me to attend therapy sessions. When I signed in today, the receptionist informed me that they now require all patients to attend therapy between appointments with their psychiatrist. Do you think I really need to attend therapy, Dr. Harmon?”
He extended his arm, pointing at the binder containing the 259 pages of my partially-completed autobiography. “I think you’re getting plenty of therapy right there, Scott!”
Dr. Harmon and I shook hands. I walked out of his office, the sails of my resolve billowed with a fresh gale of inspiration.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Scott D. Zachary
Summary of Achievements
July 2015 back through January 2013
January - July 2015
· As Optical Team Lead, prepared for up-coming Christian medical mission to El Coyolar, Nicaragua - August 8 thru 15, 2015. Purchased and shipped 100 hardcover children’s Bible story books in Spanish to Nicaragua. Purchased Christian bracelets and necklaces, multi-tools, walking canes, sewing kits, baby bottles, backpacks, vegetable seeds, scarves, toys, stuffed animals, and many other items to give away.
· Worked as Systems Analyst/Programmer at Gardens Alive, Lawrenceburg, IN since 2013.
· Created and remotely maintained K2 Marine’s (Knoxville, AR) custom-designed manufacturing and accounting software package since 1996.
· Sponsored Natalia Chusquillo, Emily Mideros, and Maria Fernanda Andrade Cuero in Ecuador through ChildFund since 2011.
· Studied Spanish intensively since 2011 to fluency to facilitate being a missionary.
· On the 28th of September, I will receive my 6-year Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety token.
· Since November 11, 2014, wrote 22 short-story memoirs comprising 259 pages (66,652 words). See www.authorsden.com. Purpose: To share my journey through alcoholism and bipolar disorder to living for Jesus Christ.
· Ran 2nd two legs of the Triple Crown in Louisville, KY (Rodes City 10K and Papa John’s 10-mile races), and ran 5K race in Greendale, IN with my four-year-old granddaughter Remi riding my shoulders.
· Performed strength training with a professional fitness trainer, Mitch Hempfling, twice a week at FitWorks in Florence, KY since 2013.
· Achieved three years without smoking cigarettes.
· Will skydive on 07/25/15 from 10,000 feet for the third time in four years to celebrate my up-coming 59th birthday.
2014
· Performed as Team Lead for the Optical Clinic on a Christian medical mission to Monquecagua, Honduras. Our team prescribed 776 pairs of prescription eyeglasses and readers.
· Performed as Team Lead for the Optical Clinic on a Christian medical mission to Rancho Grande, Nicaragua. Our team prescribed 867 pairs of prescription eyeglasses and readers. Personal goal achieved: Led three young Nicaraguans to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior (in Spanish). One of the missionary pastors performed an engagement ceremony for Barbara Hess and me at San Pablo Island on Lake Nicaragua with the missionary team present.
· Received 5-year Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety token.
· Married Barbara (Bobbie) Hess on October 25, 2014, in Lewisport, KY. We are happy and have a wonderful relationship.
· Volunteered numerous times at the Mary Rose Mission Soup Kitchen in Florence, KY.
· Gave Mission presentations to First Baptist Church in Lewisport, KY and Alliance Church in Florence, KY.
· Ran the Derby Mini Marathon (13.1 miles) and the 2nd two legs of the Louisville, KY Triple Crown races (Rodes City 10K and Papa John’s 10-mile).
· Ran three 5K fundraisers for various benefits.
2013
· ChildFund: Bobbie and I promoted sponsorship of impoverished children at Thompson Square concerts in southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky.
· Provided and served many meals for all of the residents of St Benedict’s Homeless Shelter in Owensboro, KY.
· Performed as Team Lead for the Optical Clinic on a Christian medical mission to Soledad, Honduras. Our team prescribed 743 pairs of prescription eyeglasses and readers. Attended Spanish-speaking Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and spoke to the group from podium in Spanish. After this mission, I took a bus from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to Managua, Nicaragua to serve on back-to-back mission teams.
· Performed as Team Lead for the Optical Clinic on a Christian medical mission to Los Encuentros, Nicaragua. Our team prescribed 585 pairs of prescription eyeglasses and readers. I ordered and paid for all of the prescription eyeglasses, readers, and sunglasses for this mission.
· Performed as Team Lead for the Optical Clinic on a Christian medical mission to Aguas Amarillas, Nicaragua. Our team prescribed 450 pairs of prescription eyeglasses and readers. I ordered and paid for all of the readers and sunglasses for this mission.
· Sorted, repaired, cleaned, and measured prescriptions of 2,737 pairs of used eyeglasses and packaged them for distribution around the world by Christian mission teams. Bobbie and Remi helped.
· Prepared and submitted grant requests to obtain philanthropic funding for the Pharmacy Warehouse Project in Managua for the Director of Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International.
· Provided companionship to elderly and disabled residents at the Bridge Point Nursing Home in Florence, KY.
· Volunteered numerous times to help oversee St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter in Owensboro, KY.
· Ran the Triple Crown races in Louisville, KY (5K, 10K and 10-mile).
