Lola

 08.14.2022

I've only known one. She was an angel that worked at our local American Red Cross Donor Center. Lola was a very unique woman in that her smile and gentle nature begged you to bond. And we did. Like all the staffers at our American Red Cross service providers, and there are tons, it's more than a job to them.

Like our many dedicated healthcare workers world wide, it seems to be a calling. Remember them, their faces, their compassion, their families, their selflessness, their insane hours. And be thankful for all of them, along with their ability to get up for every shift & do it again.

Remember the first six months, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traveling doctors and nurses, their mask lines that never seemed to fade. Their multiple shifts in a row. The shortage of staffers out due to pandemic illnesses. They weren't bound by ordinances or mandates that required them to socially distance. No, they double masked & gloved up for YOUR safety. When their shifts finally ended, they undressed at home in garages and laundry rooms and on patios and put their work wear in separate bins to  launder to take the best precautions they could to protect their families. And they never wavered.

Remember your own Lola. Or Doug. Or Shannon. Or Pricilla from Kenya. Or Marie from Haiti. Or Linda. Or Colin. Or Morgan. Or Nacita. Or Jennifer. Or Uncle Chuck. Or Tommy. Or Christie. Or Alyson.

All of my healthcare workers are the hugging type, as am I. They are all special. And this is why whenever I hear or think of "Lola", I think of the army of bone cracking, rib crushing, meaningful hugs doled out to so many by our saviors. It's like licking a stamp to make it stick.

"Well, I'm not the world's most physical guy, but when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine, oh my Lola    la-la-la-la Lola"

The Kinks-Lola-1970

Thankfully, this song transcends the ages, and still gets air time and mentions. Program directors @ radio stations still plug it into playlists, no matter their age. Like so many songs,  Lola is timeless. 

So if we cross paths at a healthcare facility and you get short or impatient or huffy with staff, know that defenders of Lola's are everywhere. We won't be silent. Respect Lola.

Thank you for stopping by.