Things I've learned

I just got back from APTA’s Federal Affairs Forum. Three days in our nation’s capitol advocating for my patients and my profession. It is an honor and a privilege to do so, something this country boy from Loudon doesn’t take for granted.

Just yesterday, I walked by the Capitol, pausing to take touristy photos amid the cherry blossoms at their peak. I passed the building housing the U.S. Supreme Court, a regal and imposing building where reverence and law are molded.

I walked the halls of the Senate and House office buildings, most of which have not changed for a very long time. I saw Congressman John Lewis walk by and was properly awed. Congressman Lewis marched with Martin Luther King in Selma. He has been a voice of wisdom in the House of Representatives for many years. It was an honor to breathe the same air as him.

I visited with Congressman John Rose from Cookeville. New to the House, he was interested and eager. I chatted with Congressman Mark Greene from Clarksville, an extraordinarily gifted Tennesseean and a physician as well. He’s also new to the House.

I sat with Congressman Chuck Fleischmann of Chattanooga. Congressman is and has been fully invested in the best interests of the citizens of the state of Tennessee.  You cannot leave a meeting with him and not feel honored and appreciated.

I missed new Congressman Tim Burchett, my Congressman. I’ve known him for many years, mostly from his work in the Tennessee legislature. I will meet with him in a couple of weeks in Maryville. I look forward to that meeting. Tim is one of those people that makes you feel comfortable and respected.

Others in my contingent met with Senators Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn. The “Tennessee Tuesday” event is a weekly event where you get to meet and hear from our Tennessee Senators. That meeting is always impressive and makes one proud to be a Tennesseean.

Our Tennessee delegation included a mix of people, newbies and those with lots of experience in DC and the art of advocating for our patients and profession.  We took two students, Kurtisha Norris from the physical therapy program at UT-Chattanooga and Trey Martin from ETSU.

So here’s my take-away from this trip:  Our country is divided. Painfully. Our politicians reflect that. We don’t send Senators and Congressmen to Washington to be wise, visionary, or collaborative. We send them to Washington to represent us. Maybe they are greedy. Maybe they are self-centered. They are definitely quite partisan. Maybe our country is too.

But these new legislators seem genuinely interested in doing a great job. None of them asked me if I was Republican or Democrat. None of them asked anything of me. Each patiently listened to my issues and concerns and seemed genuinely interested. I am encouraged by what I saw. In person. Up close.

I’m excited about the experience that the two students had. They were already committed members.  I believe that now they will become fully engaged members.  They have had a taste of how important these things are. They have been exposed to the national stage. They now understand that being a professional means that the job is never 9 to 5 (and that it really isn’t a job—it’s part of who you are).

So if you want to hear more from me about all this, just stop me sometime. I’m rarely at a loss for words or an opinion.