Hospital Hallways

I sometimes think I have it down. I perform my job duties adequately, interact with other staff well, and leave after my shift in good spirits. I have it down, I can do it. But then things happen that challenge my prideful ego. Little faces badly hurt, young bodies broken and mangled, and elderly patients trying to hold on. Their vulnerability hits deep and lingers, bringing up memories of others like themselves I have attempted to adequately serve. My job is only a small piece in the whole puzzle of wellness, but it is also within my control. It is within my control to offer softness instead of rigidity, to speak kindly instead of harshly, and to maintain their dignity while completing the task I have been charged with. I look around at those I labor with, and I am humbled. Each incredibly different, but setting those differences aside in order to serve the one in front of us; the hurting, broken, and sick one in front of us. Sometimes I have it down, but some days I walk these hallways and tears fill my eyes to the brim. Its humbling, beautiful, challenging, and wrecking, all in the same overwhelming moment...