I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you. I was touched by your kind words. I thank you for being patient and waiting your turn with the other patients. I thank you for wearing a face mask and kindly responding to my reminder to keep a reasonable distance from the patient who was filling out paperwork before his procedure. I thank you for the twinkle in your eyes.
When you said that you thought I was awesome and commented that you had never seen someone stay so calm and efficient under pressure, it brought a little happy glow to my heart. When you said to me “Well done, we need people like you,” it was much appreciated. When you cheekily flirted with me and said that I had a beautiful voice, like an angel’s – well I have always thought of angels as big strong muscle bound men with gigantic wings – but I do realize you meant it as a compliment.
Anyway, I just want to say THANK YOU because it’s those little moments when people are kind and lovely that make my job worthwhile. They help me forget everything bad that has happened and try even harder to look after our patients in a way that knows we truly care.
Week by week, work is becoming more intense. It’s hard to explain, not only are we busier, which seems to be due to the flu season arriving at the same time in an upsurge in cases of the …you know, but we are also having to deal with a lot more cases of patients who are stressed, demanding, impatient, aggressive and sometimes extremely disruptive. It is making for crazy capers at work!
How glad I am to come home to read your posts and to do a little writing to switch off to the bizarre day at work. I always look forward to answering the SHARE-YOUR-WORLD questions chosen by Melanie, the creator of sparksfromacombustiblemind. This is Melanie’s SHARE-YOUR-WORLD post for this week:
…and this evening I am writing to you from the comfort of my sofa, all wrapped up in a chunky-knit cardigan and with a fleece blanket draped over me. I am cold!!!
Questions
When was the last time you tried something new? How did that go for you?
Something new? I am trying to think. I tried some vegan non-dairy breaded mozzarella sticks the other day – they were yummy!
I guess a recent experience was back in the spring during the height of our work stress. So many of our colleagues were off work, either having to self-isolate with possible symptoms of the …you know, or they had chosen to be furloughed. They were desperate times – I don’t know if you can imagine the stress it caused.
Anyway, my manager showed me procedures I have never been involved in before. I had to learn fast!!! She showed me, I then performed those procedures exactly as I had observed. Then I had to do it all day long with her keeping an eye on my work! It was like the wild west! You will be glad to know I was fast-tracked through a training course to make sure I had all the relevant qualifications/certificates and could continue performing those tasks without supervision.
What’s the most sensible thing you’ve ever heard someone say?
Sensible? Hmm. I don’t know if it is the most sensible, but I think there is a lot of sage wisdom in the expression:
EXPECT NOTHING…..APPRECIATE EVERYTHING!
Those words were first imparted to me in the context to our attitude towards material things. But over the years, I have learnt the value of applying that advice in other areas of life, relationships, results, day to day life.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Well, as I have remained twenty-one for a number of years now, I am not exactly sure how to answer that question.
I loved being a kiddo – I would be happy to be eight or nine years of age, and spend all day climbing trees and playing hide and seek with my friends. But being a young adult gave me the opportunity to roam. Travelling to Africa and Eastern Europe opened my eyes up to how many people in this world have far less than we do in England. I came back with a different view of the world.
I also loved that as an adult I could work on construction sites and learn new skills. I loved meeting people from all over the country and building strong friendships.
Much as I loved being a kiddo, being a legal adult opened up opportunities for me to learn so much more about life. I happen to love falling in love. Jack has brought something very special to my life, sometimes I am at a loss for words to explain it. Although it has been a crazy ride (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I am so thrilled with the way things have worked out 🙂
Gratitude
Do you enjoy any seasonal traditions around this time of year?
The big activity for me at this time of year is preparing for the cold. I swap the summer clothes in my wardrobe for my winter woolies. I swap the light summer duvet for a heavy winter duvet. I have already started to wear snuggly scarves and hats.
I also start to have more hot drinks than cold drinks. I start looking at comfort food recipes I can make to fill up my freezer – vegetarian cottage pie, hotpots, casseroles etc. I have already started making soups again.
I don’t like the colder seasons. I love spring and especially summer. So for me now is the time to prepare to endure the colder weather, to think about comforts that will make it easier and make the most of every daylight hour, as the dark can be depressing.
Not At All Creepy
Incidentally, I noticed that one of Melanie’s other questions was asking if we had ever seen a fresh corpse. The answer is yes, many times (in my role providing nursing care for terminally ill patients)…and no, it was not remotely creepy. The first time I saw someone’s life ebbing out of them, it was strange for me. But that patient had been suffering a lot of pain and indignity. The last couple of days were hard to see as their deterioration became rapid. It was clear at that point that the patient was unresponsive to any treatment and we just had to make them comfortable in their remaining hours. Seeing those final breaths was emotional. But not creepy.
It just had a very big effect on me that death is not natural. We were not designed for death. Our Creator takes no pleasure in seeing his creatures die and it was never what he wanted for humans when he made them. The first two humans had before them the prospect of life without end. Death was the consequence when they ignored his loving guidance. They chose to rule themselves. They made the wrong choice. They and their offspring suffered. The situations has got worse and worse as wickedness has advanced. But we know that our Creator has made arrangements to undo Adamic death, to heal the human family, to remove wickedness and to ensure our earth is clean for all.
Those patients had simply gone to sleep. Pain had ended. Although they had ceased to breathe I had no doubt they were safe in the memory of our Creator and that he would keep them there until the earth was clean and without wickedness before he restored consciousness to them and brought them back to life in a healthy body. I often think of the patients I was with when they died. I would love to be there to see them back with us, on a clean earth without any harm or cruelty.
The scale of rejoicing that is ahead of us once wickedness has been removed is wonderful to contemplate. Just as our Creator yearns to see precious humans living again, so do we. We long to be united with our loved ones and to know that death, mourning, grief and pain are a thing of the past.
Once the earth is clean…the resurrection can begin!!! Soon, this corrupt system will be dissolved and mankind will work together to fulfill our Creator’s purpose – a clean earth like paradise, a happy healthy human family and thriving creatures. Just a little while longer!
Caramel 