In October for work I had to go into each patient's room in a hospital and switch out one product for another.

I learned many lessons - this was the most important (to me) though.

I walked into the Intensive Care Unit. There was one giant digital board outside the patients' rooms (about 20 patients that day) showing the name, age, etc. I noticed the average age was around 65.

65...65 is the age of both my parents.

I'd knock on the door and enter each room. Some of these folks appeared to have no clue I was in the room - they just laid there, didn't budge, had all these tubes hooked up to their bodies, and oddly enough - I could see the heart monitor indicating they were still alive.

One man though was wide awake and smiled at me and even said hello and had a quick conversation - he looked great!

Why is he in here - he looks fine?

Then, I went into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - this is the department for babies who need extra love and care. I was told that there were two sections in there. To summarize the sections, in one area - those babies need love - lots of love - and patience. The other area - well, those babies need you on your knees, grasping your heart, and praying for a miracle.

I go over to switch out the product - there is a 2.3 pound baby. I try not to look because I don't want to be rude, but I had never seen a baby that tiny. You hear about babies this little - but then when you finally see a soul this small, it changes you in ways you couldn't have imagined.

That's when I got my perspective lesson.

I learned that you can meet a 65-year-old in one room who cannot even talk to you or even open his eyes, then meet another ICU patient who looks healthy but is clearly not, and then visit a 2.3 pound baby who has just come into this world - and you truly have no idea the fight they are fighting.

Interestingly too, sometimes I've found that those who can talk like the older man who I had a conversation with - look healthy, but might be hurting the most.

I wondered which soul out of those three was going to live the longest from that moment on. I wondered which soul was fighting like hell, and which soul was ready to go home.

I wonder how our neighbors, colleagues, family members are fighting something we have no clue about...

I wonder if we took this perspective lesson and applied it into our workplace, our homes, our projects -

I just wonder, how our world might change.