- Email: [email protected]
The kite flier
it+ vva+Buttt8 out knowing that soon he would find a n e w adventure. During one of these travels, he came to an uncharted island. The island was very different--it was very tall! Most islands had lovely shores, b u t on all sides of this island, the cliffs w e n t straight u p out of the water for h u n d r e d s of feet. There was hardly a place to land his boat. But he found a small cove, and there he tied his boat. Then he began climbing the steep cliffs. Eventually he made it to the top and found a beautiful land. As he looked about, he could tell the island was abouta mile long and a half-mile wide. It was small, but m a n y people lived there. He found them to be charming a n d kind. In fact, he liked the people and the island so much that he stayed for m a n y years. During this time, he discovered that parts of the island were falling into the ocean. Much discussion occurred a m o n g the people about whether they should leave the island, but no other land could be seen from their home. There were no trees to build boats, a n d the y o u n g man's boat only held one person. He chose not to leave his new friends. As people realized the island was eroding into the ocean, they began talking of their lives, their ancestors, their dreams and wishes. If only they had some way to communicate their history to the world before it was too late. One source of great joy for these people was flying kites. They were great kitefliers. They built kites out of the small plants found on the island. In fact, some of the people were such good kiteTCM 34
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of our people on them, fly them high in the sky, then let them go. Maybe the kites will travel far where other people will find them. Then someone will know of us and remember who we were." So the people began building special kites. The young man, who no longer was young, also built a kite. He had traveled much of the world and seen m a n y things, and he found in these people a special kindness and caring. He wanted to let others know of this experience and the goodness he had seen in these people. As he continued to build his kite, the island grew smaller and smaller. Finally he realized his kite was so large that it would be hard to launch. W h e n the island was bigger, he could r u n to launch his kite high in the air. But now, if he ran in any direction for more than 20 or 30 seconds, he might r u n off the island and fall into the ocean far below. He considered that he might take his kite a n d use it as a sail on his small boat. But that was not what the kite was designed for! He must launch the kite and let it go forward to tell the stories of these people. Finally the kite was finished. He looked around and saw that the island had become even smaller. There was no time left. He must launch his kite, getting it as high in the air as possible so that the winds would carry it to another world. He found a path where he could r u n into the wind and hopefully the kite would go high into the sky before he came to the edge of the island. But what if, even as he ran toward the cliff, the kite still was not high enough? What should he do? Should he stop and let the kite fall to the ground to be broken into h u n d r e d s
as he once was. He ran hard into the wind and saw the kite getting higher and higher. He also saw the cliffs quickly approaching...he fixed his eyes on the kite...going higher and higher...and ran as fast as he could. What is your story as a person, as a case manager? All of us have a personal story to tell. Technology gives us a chance to let others know of our journey and the lessons we have learned. Do not let the lessons learned during your life pass without sharing them. Share them through technology--video, word processors, audio, Internet, digital photography. What are the stories you can share, and what do those stories tell us about our profession, our mission? How can our experience prepare the next generation of case managers to be even better? What skills and values are at the heart of our profession? Let us keep our eyes on what is important and pass on valuable stories to those who come after us. This article brings to a close my tenure as author of this section of The Case Manager. Thanks to all that have been of help on the past articles, including Lisa Busby, Tanya Rutherford, Dawn Drennan, Nathania Sawyer, Phyllis Brister, Jay Staggs, and Heather White. And a special thanks to the readers who have shared their "technology journey" with me. El
Randall L. Thomas, PhD, is the president of the National Center for Life Care Planning. He can be reached by E-mail at lcpstat595q~ aol.com. Reprint orders: Mosby, Inc., 11830 Westline Industrial Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146:3318; phone (314) 453-4350; reprint no. 68/1/224
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of our people on them, fly them high in the sky, then let them go. Maybe the kites will travel far where other people will find them. Then someone will know of us and remember who we were." So the people began building special kites. The young man, who no longer was young, also built a kite. He had traveled much of the world and seen m a n y things, and he found in these people a special kindness and caring. He wanted to let others know of this experience and the goodness he had seen in these people. As he continued to build his kite, the island grew smaller and smaller. Finally he realized his kite was so large that it would be hard to launch. W h e n the island was bigger, he could r u n to launch his kite high in the air. But now, if he ran in any direction for more than 20 or 30 seconds, he might r u n off the island and fall into the ocean far below. He considered that he might take his kite a n d use it as a sail on his small boat. But that was not what the kite was designed for! He must launch the kite and let it go forward to tell the stories of these people. Finally the kite was finished. He looked around and saw that the island had become even smaller. There was no time left. He must launch his kite, getting it as high in the air as possible so that the winds would carry it to another world. He found a path where he could r u n into the wind and hopefully the kite would go high into the sky before he came to the edge of the island. But what if, even as he ran toward the cliff, the kite still was not high enough? What should he do? Should he stop and let the kite fall to the ground to be broken into h u n d r e d s
as he once was. He ran hard into the wind and saw the kite getting higher and higher. He also saw the cliffs quickly approaching...he fixed his eyes on the kite...going higher and higher...and ran as fast as he could. What is your story as a person, as a case manager? All of us have a personal story to tell. Technology gives us a chance to let others know of our journey and the lessons we have learned. Do not let the lessons learned during your life pass without sharing them. Share them through technology--video, word processors, audio, Internet, digital photography. What are the stories you can share, and what do those stories tell us about our profession, our mission? How can our experience prepare the next generation of case managers to be even better? What skills and values are at the heart of our profession? Let us keep our eyes on what is important and pass on valuable stories to those who come after us. This article brings to a close my tenure as author of this section of The Case Manager. Thanks to all that have been of help on the past articles, including Lisa Busby, Tanya Rutherford, Dawn Drennan, Nathania Sawyer, Phyllis Brister, Jay Staggs, and Heather White. And a special thanks to the readers who have shared their "technology journey" with me. El
Randall L. Thomas, PhD, is the president of the National Center for Life Care Planning. He can be reached by E-mail at lcpstat595q~ aol.com. Reprint orders: Mosby, Inc., 11830 Westline Industrial Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146:3318; phone (314) 453-4350; reprint no. 68/1/224