Why on earth are you here? You should have taken the day off! Oh hunny,
you should have told me it was your birthday, then we would have said not to
come in. You should be doing something fun!
Such were the myriads of comments that were made after
someone at work found out it was my 21st birthday. I just laughed, shrugged my shoulders, and
said that I was happy to be there.
I think many people thought that I was just trying to be positive, but honestly there was nowhere else I'd rather be today. Ever since I was a little girl I've wanted to be a nurse. I've never changed my mind, wanted to try something else, or become bored or upset about being in the hospital setting. There is tension, laughter, tears, heartbreak, rejoicing, comfort, fear and love. Some people say they can't stand the smell of hospitals (for obvious reasons!), they are too cold, or hospitals just plain scare them. But I love it! I just... I just do.
Only one more
year left until I am a fully-fledged RN. I can hardly believe it! So soon. But
until then, I am volunteering at our
local hospital. Every weekend I look
forward to Monday, because it means that I will once again be entering into the
world that I love... the environment that brings me so much peace... doing what
makes me feel completely fulfilled. But
what would this building, this environment be without its most precious
cargo? It's life-blood, and very
heartbeat... the people.
Many people
believe that a hospital or clinic is all about the patients. Bring the ill, the hurting, the damaged
through our doors, find a plan of healing, get 'em healthy again, and send them
back out into the world. While this is
somewhat true, and the patients are certainly very important, there is another
and much larger population that effects and is effected by the hospital: the
staff. Doctors, nurses, physical
therapists, techs, CNA's, environmental workers, receptionists, cooks,
suppliers, chaplains... the list could go on and on. Each and every one of these individuals has
a role to play in the life of the hospital, and each individual is directly affected
by another.
People are
such strange and wonderful beings, don't you think? They can be frustrated by smallest thing,
made perfectly happy with a simple gift, completely crushed by a single word,
and healed with just a gentle touch. But
you see, a great portion of our society believes that hospital personnel are
some sort of super-humans. They are supposed
to be tough, unbreakable, always in control, all-knowing... they are, in fact,
supposed to be perfect. But they're
not. You see, they are just people...
fragile, imperfect, irrational, passionate, and most of all, human. And they 're wonderful!
As a
volunteer, I'm supposed to minister to the patients, bring joy, and make
everyone's life a little bit better. But
in reality, I am the one being ministered to.
The patients and staff are what bring me joy. And each person that I work with, talk to, or
simply pass in the hallway touches my life in some way. Today, only a few people knew that it was my
birthday. But it was perfect that
way! Without meaning to, each person
made my day perfect. Someone made me
laugh, someone made me feel special, someone took the time to talk with me,
someone shared their story. I cried, I
laughed, I was hurt, I was busy, I was embarrassed, but mostly.... I was
happy. And it was all because of
people. Those perfectly imperfect people
that I work with and for. There is no place
else that I'd rather spend this socially monumental day in my life.
I guess I was "supposed" to spend
it wildly partying, livin' it up, and raising hell. But this is why I was born, this is what
makes me fulfilled, this is what gives me joy... this is where I am meant to
be. And it's perfect.
"Don't go looking somewhere else to find out who you are. The miracle
isn't in the life you didn't have, but in the life you do have."
