Coffee With Mo..

When I was little girl, I remember asking lots of questions. Believe it or not, that didn’t change when I grew up. (lol) Someone once told me, “what you don’t know won’t hurt you.” They said that to keep me from knowing what was being discussed with someone else.

Fast forward, many years later. while training in a new dept., my pharmacy supervisor, Maribeth, ask me if I had any questions for her before she left for the day. I was the lone automation technician on 2nd shift. I replied back to her, “I don’t know what I don’t know, and I’m not sure what questions I should have”. She smiled as she replied back to me, “ I know exactly what you mean.  

Some may think that statement sounds like a riddle, but actually it is true. You may not even realize all the things you have not yet learned, until you need to know them. 

A couple of illustrations for me personally. Top of my list would be my skill or lack thereof in knowing my way around, otherwise called, directionally challenged, I can easily take ownership of this quality I lack. I know it’s important for me to have a pretty clear idea of my travel route before I start out on any adventure; or I could drive in circles. If I don’t know what part of town to avoid, I could find myself, as I have in the past, driving into the direction of someone who has no good intentions. You know the saying, “birds of a feather”, well, there are good birds, and not so good birds. It’s important to know these things.  If I want to explore a bit, I’ll program my GPS and not worry about directions. Once I get to know a route or particular area, it typically stays with me. It only took 4 years to learn my way around Forsyth Medical Center, back halls and stairs, shortcuts and so on. A facility with just under 1000 beds.

Next on the list are bees. Growing up in the mountainous country in southwestern Va., there was never a lack of snakes and bees.  I didn’t know about the importance of honey bees. There are also bees that look like honey bees but they are mean and they can seriously hurt you. Ground bees & yellow jackets, resemble the honey bee, but only from a distance in their appearance. Honey bees go about their business, making honey, pollinating flowers and plants for us to have food. I didn’t learn that until late in life. I had the mind set to ”hit ‘em hard and take no prisoners” lol, I would kill them before they could sting me. I grew up with stings and swelling from wasps, yellow jackets and stirred up a nest of ground bees. Another of those things I didn’t know that hurt me.

So you see, it is important to know who & what can hurt you and what won’t hurt you. 

 There is something you can learn every day. Learn all you can, when your brain is ready to learn; and listen to those who are willing to teach you. There is much that can hurt us if we don’t know about it. 

We get caught up when our little ones are learning everything, teaching them about the dangers in front of them, what not to touch, where not to step and how to stay safe. As adults we learn until we leave this life. We can listen to those who have a little more life experience, a few more hard knocks & greater wisdom than we do.  

Keep asking questions and keep learning. What you don’t know CAN & just might hurt you.