Today, while waiting in a facility lobby for a
meeting, I had the honor of sitting next to a soft-spoken elder gentleman, who,
like many coping with the cognitive deficits of dementia, was unable to relate
any current events.
However he was so excited in telling me about his
career as a dairy farmer and how he valued "good, hard, honest, work,"
(a very great value, indeed).
With each detailed explanation of his routine work
day, the delight in his eyes rose. He interjected various stories of his family
life, some funny and some a bit more solemn.
I could have listened to him go on all day, but the
work day and the meeting were still at hand.
Thank you, Mr. H. for making my day. I know I may have
given you a little reprieve from the sense of loneliness you felt sitting by
yourself in the lobby, but in return, you gave me a wonderful reminder of why I
love being a nurse.
Nursing is not just medications, bandages, and
pencil-pushing (well, now we have computers), it is the art and science of
caring for individual human beings.
Yes, we care for people with varied histories,
ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds--all with their own stories, and all in
need of just a moment of time.
Time to talk, to have a hand held, to see a smiling
face, to hear a gentle voice, to cry, to laugh, to pray, to know that someone
truly cares, and to heal, not just physically but soulfully as well.
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