Today is a new day

Have you seen the movie Chicken Little? It's a movie about a little chicken who's dad never supports him or believes him. He becomes the laughing stock of the whole town after the "sky is falling" incident. He trips and falls and has trouble because he is short and is picked on in school, etc. My girls think this movie is funny and awesome and I don't really LOVE it per se, but I do love one thing about it. No matter what happens to Chicken Little or how awful his day has been the day before, he says to himself over and over again, "Today is a new day."

This phrase went through my head a lot today. For one, in reflection of yesterday's blog, I knew I had to at least improve my day some. Surprisingly, it really improved on its own. I was paired with a great nurse today in clinical. I had been paired with her before and wasn't incredibly impressed, but today must have been a new day for her too, and we worked well as a team. I had great patients today. A good variety. An eye opening experience. A new experience. I got to help someone with a skill that, until recently, I had struggled with too and now have down pretty well. Today was a new day. Doesn't mean I'm not glad it's over....just glad it was better than yesterday.

Yesterday, amidst my frustration of the day, I talked to my mom on the phone. I told her what was going on and how I felt like I worked so hard to make people feel good but it never seemed to help them at all. I felt ineffective, incapable, burnt out. I wondered if it would ever come down to someone just saying to me, "You did a great job today. I don't know what I would've done without you." Does that ever happen? Or do we just go day to day working hard and pouring our hearts into things that don't matter? Or if they do matter, why aren't we ever told? I'm not saying I'm a compliment seeker or a "look at me" type of person. I just want to know that once in a while, I've done something positive for another person. After all, isn't that why I chose to be a nurse in the first place?

Today I set out to change this scene for someone else. Today, it was for the cafeteria tray lady. She's older and she pushes a big metal cart full of meal trays to each floor. I've watched her for 4 weeks now as she walks down the halls to find the nurse to ask if the patient is diabetic or NPO or if there are any special instructions. She then goes to the patient's room and sets up the tray for them, asks if they want to sit up in bed or in the chair, even offers to adjust the shades. She doesn't have to. She could just set the tray down and walk out, but she chooses to go above and beyond. She calls her patients by name. Today I stopped her on her way out of one of my patient's rooms and I told her that I noticed that she is always so kind to people. I really liked that about her. She told me she loves people, not her job, and she does her job to serve people. It brings her joy. This was a message I needed to hear.

Last week, we were shown a video in a meeting for summer graduates. I might not remember the details exactly, but it did make an impact on me. Here is what I remember: Words flashing up on the screen, music playing in the background. The words told a story of a middle aged man who was encouraged to examine who had made the biggest impact on his life and career. After some thought, he thought of his sixth grade English teacher. He wasn't much for self reflection, but the thought of the lady moved him. So, he decided to write her a letter. He received a letter back some time after that from his former teacher who told him that she was now 90 years old and lived alone. Her husband was gone. Her children were gone. Her friends were gone. She had nothing. She was overcome with joy that someone had thought of her and so thankful for this man's letter. This was the ONLY thank you letter she had ever received in her life. She told him that she wondered if she had ever made a difference at all. Now she knew she had. Both of them were overcome with emotion from the power of appreciation. While this might sound like a bad forward from your forward sending friend, it really impressed something upon me. I think the soul has an innate need for appreciation, purpose, effectiveness. I think it is up to us, as fellow people, to fulfill that need when we can for our family, friends, co-workers, strangers, anybody.

So, I appreciate you, blog reader. Because I know that you are my friend or my family or both. Thank you for the difference you make wherever you are and wherever you go. You make a difference. People just forget to tell you. If you think of it tomorrow, thank someone else. Today was a new day for me and tomorrow will be too. What a difference a day can make.

You know, tomorrow I'll probably feel stupid for allowing myself to write such a mushy entry. In light of that knowledge, why not continue it? My final thought. Whenever someone has a birthday, or a wedding, or some big event, Olivia sees the sunset and exclaims, "Oh my gosh! Mom, LOOK! God made a sunset JUST for Lianna (or whomever)! How beautiful Mom, LOOK! Let's call her to make sure she sees!"

I LOVE that optimism. I cling to that optimism, that maybe that one sunset, or moment, or day WAS for me, or for you, or for her, whomever.