Remember when that word struck fear in the hearts of people?
If you were a kid, a child growing up in the 1950s' chances are you were acquainted with that word, polio. Much of that changed in the early to mid 1950s' when Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine to combat that dreaded disease.
Today while I was doing my exercise (I try daily to do the treadmill in the wintertime other times walk a 4-5 neighborhood path) for some reason that word came to me. Polio. So often when I exercise I am made to think how fortunate, blessed one is if they have their health.
Thinking of the disease of polio most of us who were children in the 1950s' also remember what had to be done to be protected from this disease. Shots. Now that's a word that most of us from that time can remember and not with a happy memory.
I remember the day my mom called to me as I was outside playing. I was probably about ten year or eleven years old. "Come in the house and you need to get cleaned up." Those last two words to a small boy generally did not mean good things. Of course my first question when arriving at the door was "Why?" "Well we need to go to the doctor's office we have an appointment." Next question, "What for?" "You just get cleaned up, now move on."
The word "doctor's office" to me never had a good sound or positive results. My feelings about those words were kinda like our old dog Shadow's reaction when taken to the vets office. That dog normally like to ride in cars but I can remember how when we would pull into the vet's parking lot ole' Shadow knew, "this ain't good." She would look at you with those pitifully eyes and her legs would start to shake. She was not about to hop out and go with you. She was saying kinda like my feelings at the doctor's office, "I have been here before and nothing good ever happens to me."
A good memory I do have on that day was what the doctor did and he always did this when I had to see him. Doctor Odell was his name. His office was a little white building on the corner of the main street in Farmersburg, Indiana. After doc gave me my polio shot he turned his back to me, took a small pill envelope from a desk drawer, took something from his pocket (generally a nickel--hey remember this is early 1950s'). He then would turn to me and say, "now take this after you leave here, get yourself some ice cream." Often he would smile and then say to me, "I think you'll feel better."
Isn't if funny what children remember....I still remember his name, yes his office and the day I got my polio shot................. but most of all I remember his kindness.
You know acts of kindness can have long memories........
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May 13, 2017
Keep on,
Larry Adamson