Mary Had a Little Lamb...Little Lamb...Little Lamb...Blah...Blah...Blah.

Katharine Hepburn once said, (in that little way she had)," If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!" Keep this quote in mind as you read about my recent comedic hospital adventure. I was a bad girl and didn't obey the rules. However, the fun part is happening now in the retelling of the story for laughing pleasure's sake. So, I didn't miss out on the fun after all. It took a little longer than usual for the "fun" part to manifest itself, but worth the wait. Laughter and humorous antics can have wonderful healing powers. Feel free to point and laugh at me. Finished?? OK...let's keep going with this wacky story....!

At a recent doctor's appointment, my perceptively, kind doctor recognized that I appeared to be a weak specimen (my word, not his) of a person. I told him that I had been feeling an overwhelming sense of lethargy, along with a cough. Being a conscientious M.D., he decided to put me in the hospital for suspected pneumonia. I was promptly hooked up to an IV. The nurse told me how to use the buzzer that was rigged to the bed to call them. I was given strict instructions not to get out of bed by myself without calling them to assist me. Sooo....during the night, I found myself needing to get out of bed (if you know what I mean). I buzzed for the nurses. However, I thought to myself, 'Hmmm -- the bathroom is only two, little steps away. Surely, I can do this by myself." Now -- here comes the disobeying part...

...I eased myself out of the bed and grabbed onto the IV pole that I thought could be easily strolled into the bathroom those two, simple tiny steps away...or so I thought. Bad idea...I took my first step and wiped out immediately onto the floor bringing the IV machine along with me. The IV came unhooked from my arm and blood was spewing everywhere. I had been a bad, bad girl. The consequence for not obeying the rules meant that I was essentially put on probation. They had no choice but to activate a piece of equipment connected to my bed. This would warn the nurses at the station whenever my legs moved in the bed with enough pressure that would be indicative that I may try to escape yet again. This piece of equipment had a little person who lived inside of it who played Mary Had a Little Lamb on a kazoo'" deafeningly loud. To me, I interpreted it as, (now get Mary Had a Little Lamb tune in your head) "You have been a bad, bad girl, bad, bad girl, bad, bad girl. You have been a bad, bad girl. Now get back in that bed!" It worked. I obeyed -- but I wasn't having fun and I developed a strong aversion to the song. However, it was nice to know that I was being watched over so carefully. I will say that I was so glad to get home to my own non-musical bed that doesn't play tunes when I need to get up. The fun part has finally begun in the retelling -- yahoo! So, perhaps, Katharine's quote can go both ways and we can obey the rules, and life can still be fun -- and make us laugh!