The "Luckily...It Will Never Stop Happening" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting next to a young lady, making arrangements for another visit to my doctor to have a few more injections in my lower back.  This has been an ongoing problem for me for many years.  All began about 50 years ago when I was helping a relative move a rather large window air-conditioning unit.  Felt something unusual in my back and to this day I swear that was the source of all my back problems.  It was back on June 8th that I wrote a story telling of my visit to the Lancaster General Health Campus to have a variety of tests done that would hopefully help Dr. Roberts determine what was the next step in helping me gain some relief from the pain in my back.  We had discussed my four major operations  I have undergone over the past 20 years and I told him if they couldn't get the problem solved after 4 operations, another one wouldn't help either.  So I agreed to try a few injections in my lower back.  The first two, a few months ago, didn't do a bit of good, so he will now try a few more injections, only with a more potent drug.  He had me go to the Health Campus for an MRI and a few other tests to help him pin-point the exact location that he would place the needle.  My trip today was to view the results of the MRI so he could show me exactly where the pain was located.  On the screen was a outline of my backbone with two large areas that shown in a bright red color.  These were the areas where he would inject the material needed to make the pain magically go away.  Now, getting back to my trip for my MRI.  Seems that the fellow who performed the MRI was a former student on mine at Manheim Township High School.  We talked for quite some time about his life and the fact that he was planning on retiring soon.  I looked at him and said, "How old are you?"  Now, remember...this was a student of mine in high school.  Seems he was 65 and ready to retire!  For the first time I actually felt OLD!  Well, today's visit was on par with the last visit.  After meeting with Dr.  Roberts I was directed to a secretary who would make arrangements for my trip back to get the two injections.  I sat next to the young lady who stared at me for a minute or so and asked...Are you the same Larry Woods who taught school at Manheim Township.  You must remember that I had a mask on at the time and she based her question on the photo she had of me on the screen in front of her.  "Yes, that's me!" I said to her.  She looked at me again and said, "I had you in high school for Graphic Arts.  My name was Pat Solecki at the time."  My wife, sitting in a chair across from me, began laughing out loud. "Everywhere we seem to go, someone has had him for either Graphic Arts or Photography.  You wouldn't believe how many people either recognize his face or his name."  The next 15 minutes was devoted to talking about the class and who else might have been in the class with Pat.  She also told me her married name and how long she had been working at the Spine Care Center.  She did tell me the year she was in my class, but I have since forgotten it.  Seems that after teaching 35 years at Manheim Township High School, my own Alma Mater, I have had hundreds of students who still remember one of my classes that they were in during their high school years.  I am often reminded that I retired almost 25 years ago and that my students number in the thousands after all those years of teaching so finding one of them every few weeks is going to happen.  I am glad that they all have told me they enjoyed my classes, but then who wouldn't enjoy a class that was an elective.  Tomorrow will bring another day and perhaps another..."Are you the same Mr. Woods that I had as a teacher in 1968?" "Yes...that's me.  I know I look older now, but that's something I can't do anything about."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.