it's a beautiful life.

I am positive that I picked the perfect major for me.
A psychic once told me, "you will give far more than you will ever receive, but you'll be so happy because of it."

Yesterday, I took care of a man who had a stroke. He was 70, and two weeks ago he was talking, eating dinner with his wife, and thinking about going on a hunting trip. Yesterday, when I asked him his name, he replied "yes". When I asked when his birthday was, he said, "allright, yeah". I asked him where he was from and he replied incoherently. But I know this man is there....I know he appreciates everything that is being done for him. When I took out his IV, he started bleeding a ton. I basically had a face full of horror and I looked up and profusely apologized. This man couldn't say a word, but his kind smile and gentle laugh told me that it's okay, he forgives me. He's there if you listen really hard.

Last week, I took care of a woman who was 58 and had a trach tube (she couldn't talk), a tube going to her stomach, and a picc line. This was by far the hardest day I have ever had so far. Imagine not being able to talk, and people not understanding you when you're mouthing words. This poor woman was such a smart lady. I come to find out she had been a nurse for 38 years and basically followed every mistake I was making by writing down on a piece of paper and telling me how to improve. At one point of the day, she was crying and wrote, "I'm slipping away". Because of this, I loved her more. This woman was so beautiful inside that head of hers. She had such a wonderful story to tell and I was happy to be there as a shoulder to cry on.

Recently, I gave a bed bath to a 53 year old man. In October, he was coming home from his daughter's wedding. He had been drinking, and was driving. He got into a crash, and at the scene paramedics found that brain matter was coming out the back of his head. It's a miracle this man is alive. He has no bone on the whole right side of is head. He's had craniectomies and many surgeries to help fix him. It's February now, and he is mostly unresponsive. He's in a vegetative state, his pupils won't dilate, and he can't move his whole left side of his body. The only thing he can do is grab your hand. So when I gave this man a bed bath, he held my hand. The doctors say it's just an impulse thing, but I know he knows I'm there. Whether he sees me from an "out of body" way or can just sense that someone's taking care of him, I know he knew I was holding his hand.

Honestly, I love nursing. I love the gift that I can give each and every one of my patients. They are all beautiful in my eyes.