Serendity

Lessons from Everyday Life By Theodore Lewis

Bridgman, MI—My first CEO appointment was at Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton, LA, when I was 49. The prestigious East Jefferson Medical Center in Metairie, LA, had a management contract to operate Riverside, and Peter Betts, East Jefferson's CEO, hired me as Riverside's CEO.

Franklinton is the Parish Seat in Washington Parish and is about 65 miles north of Metairie. Metairie is on the south side of Lake Pontchartrain and is one of the northern suburbs of New Orleans.  

To travel from Franklinton to Metairie, one passes through Covington (on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain) and then continues on The Causeway, a 24-mile bridge (the longest in the U.S.) spanning Lake Pontchartrain from north to south.

The first time I made the trip from Franklinton to Metairie, I almost didn't make it across The Causeway. Traveling over water for 24 straight miles was very disconcerting to me.  After the first 5 or 6 miles I started to grip the steering wheel of my large Cadillac Eldorado with all my might. By the time I was halfway across, I couldn't see any land, and it started to feel like I was in the middle of the ocean.

By the time I eventually arrived at the end of The Causeway in Metairie, my shirt was completely drenched in sweat, and I had to peel my knuckles off the steering wheel because they were almost stuck to it.

I had weekly meetings with Mr. Betts at East Jefferson. Each week I had to make the treacherous 24-mile trip both ways across the vast Lake Pontchartrain.

One of my up-and-coming managers at Riverside was Robin White, a bright young lady. She had extensive experience in medical records and was just starting to learn Human Resources, which was my area of expertise.

One weekend, Robin invited a couple of hospital staff over to her house in Covington to watch a movie and enjoy some strawberry shortcake with freshly picked strawberries from Ponchatoula. Strawberries from Ponchatoula (near Covington) are world famous for their size and delicious taste. Because I didn't have to cross The Causeway, I was happy to accept Robin's invitation.

After the movie and fabulous shortcake, it was time for the guests to leave. Robin's house in Covington has a curved driveway with a large pine tree near the end. I started backing up my blue Eldorado after the two other cars parked behind me left. It was after dark and there weren't any streetlights. I didn't see the big pine tree, which I hit with the left rear quarter panel of my car as I was reversing. Robin came over and apologized, saying many others had previously hit that tree.

As I inspected the damage to my vehicle the next morning, I felt depressed, recalling that my car insurance policy had a $1,000 deductible. The car's quarter panel had significant damage. I was quite sure an auto body shop would charge at least $1,000 to fix the damage and repaint the quarter panel. The thought of an extra $1,000 of expense to my budget gave me heartburn, so I decided to wait a couple of weeks.

As I was very busy with my new job, a couple of weeks turned into a couple of months, and I still hadn't done anything about the damage to my Eldorado. Pretty soon, I began to forget about it, moving on with my life as if that large dent wasn't there. 

Then, after traveling to East Jefferson for one of my weekly meetings, I arrived early at the multi-level hospital parking garage. As I parked in a slanted spot, I began to return phone messages from my car, as I still had several minutes before my meeting with Mr. Betts. 

While I was on my cell phone, I felt a jolt in my vehicle. From my left-side rearview mirror, I saw a car hit the left rear of my car after backing out of a spot on the other side of the aisle. The gentleman driving that car stopped and inspected the damage he had caused to our two vehicles.

As I got out of my driver's seat, he was inspecting the damage to my rear quarter panel. Incredibly, his car had hit me in the exact same spot as the dent that had been there from the pine tree. The indentation his car left on mine was almost identical to the previous damage, only now my damaged Eldorado had paint from his car on it.

"I'm so sorry," he said remorsefully.  I replied, "No worries, these things happen sometimes."

He then pulled out his driver's license and State Farm Insurance card.  I also had State Farm Insurance, and I gave him my information. He then called his agent right there, told them what had happened and gave the agent my contact information.  

The next day, State Farm contacted me to bring my Eldorado to one of their sites for inspection. A week later, the repair work was scheduled at a local shop, and a month later, my Eldorado looked brand new.

"Fortune,” William Shakespeare once said, “brings in some boats that aren't steered.”

Theodore Lewis is the former CEO of Guam Memorial Hospital and has a healthcare consulting business in Bridgman, MI. He is collecting stories about lessons learned in life and can be reached at theodorelewis@yahoo.com.

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