Kindness…

When I was a very little girl, I used to rescue the flies and ladybugs that were drowning in our swimming pool.

I would scoop them up in a handful of water, watched as the water ran through my fingers, until the insect was standing on my damp hand. Then, moving to the driest fingertip, there was buzzing of wings (to dry them off, perhaps?) and then, in time, the creature would rejoin the world, taking off from my fingertips.

My first attempts at lifesaving. I didn’t rescue bees or wasps, afraid of being stung in the process of my kind act.

Isn’t that still the way?

It is so much easier to do a kindness for someone who will appreciate it. Who will acknowledge the effort.

Being a nurse is about providing kind service every day to everyone you work with. My role as I see it is to serve the person who needs my assistance, and to me it really is unimportant if we share a worldview or not. I will help in any way I can, even if my belief system is different, because I am no one's judge.

Being a nurse means being an advocate, no matter what. It is something I love and feel called to do. I am just so happy that after 20+ years I still like the work. I am blessed.