and tests and changing their medications. But, after
several weeks of investigations and alterations, he’d
accomplished littleexcept driving themedical billsup
andmakingthenursingstaffcrazy.Thenursingdirector
talked to him and told him to back off.
“I was confusing care with treatment,” he told me.
Hedidn’tgiveup,though.Hecametothinkthemissing
ingredientin this nursing homewas lifeitself, and he
decidedtotryanexperimenttoinjectsome.Theideahe
cameupwithwasasmadandnaïveasitwasbrilliant.
Thathegot theresidentsand nursinghomestaff togo
along with it was a minor miracle.
Buttounderstandtheidea—includinghowitcameabout
andhowhegotitofftheground—youhavetounderstand
afewthingsaboutBillThomas.Thefirstthingisthat,as
achild,Thomaswoneverysalescontesthisschoolhad.
They’dsendthekidsofftosellcandlesormagazinesor
chocolatesdoor-to-door fortheBoyScouts orasports
team,andhe’dinvariablycomehomewiththeprizefor
most sales. He also won election as student body
presidentinhigh school.Hewaschosencaptainofthe
trackteam.Whenhewantedto,hecouldsellpeopleon
almost anything, including himself.
At the same time, he was a terrible student. He had
miserablegradesandrepeatedrun-inswithhisteachers
overhisfailuretodotheworktheyassigned.Itwasn’t
thathecouldn’tdothework.Hewasavoraciousreader
and autodidact, the kind of a boy who would teach
himselftrigonometrysohecouldbuildaboat(whichhe
did).Hejustdidn’tcareaboutdoingtheworkhisteachers