I was deeply impressed with the staff at Kirk Eye Center yesterday (06-02-2025). It was probably not any more remarkable than any other visit I’ve made to Kirk, but it especially landed with me yesterday. After meeting with a tall fellow named Andrew for some preliminary work, I was waiting for Kent Kirk to come in to do his thing, and I overheard a business-related conversation between someone learning the ropes and a veteran on staff. When Dr. Kirk came in the room where I was waiting (not for long, I should add) Andrew was with there along with two other staff members. I gather that a great deal is involved in running the eye center, and I was only there to witness the smallest fraction of it, but for the time I was there, I felt I was in on something special between Dr. Kirk and his staff. I can only imagine how challenging it must be to be new to the business, but I felt strongly that the young men and women in the office were in excellent hands. I sensed they were in the presence of a profoundly invested mentor and that they knew it. And I felt this everywhere in the office–from the woman in black scrubs who walked me and my dilated eyes to the business hub (and who still seemed to be looking out for me as I made an appointment for next year), to the two women in the hub–one of whom seemed every bit a mentor to the newer staff member there as Kurt was to his young team–to that newer staff member who explained everything so thoroughly, to the two women on the front lines who welcomed me, to the woman who handed me my prescription. Today is my final day of school at Trinity High School for girls, where I participate in the very meaningful work of teaching English, and I was happy–moved, even–to witness the familial warmth and dedicated mentoring and learning environment happening at Kirk Eye Center. I should have been writing notes like this after every visit of my years-long history at Kirk. billy lombardo
