The Poisoned Ink Well

Monday, October 28, 2002


by melanie
You know, it has occurred to me today, as I think of the passing of my friend that some people assume that because you may choose to live in the country and work withthe elderly and that you do this because you couldn’t hack it anywhere else and that’s not true.I like working with elderly, although I prefer working with one patient at a time and one of the most enjoyable things that I may do on the job is walking with an elderly lady and perusing flowers and learning the names of every wild flower and variety of herb in her garden. The fact that she may have Alzheimer’s does not lesson the wisdom or the truth of her nature walk, as I become someone who learn and not just a caretaker.Some of us would rather work in a way that allows us to stop and smell the roses, to quote a favorite cliché.I have watched the guys behind the garbage truck. They run, grab, and dump, whistling in between stops, oblivious of the traffic behind them with a soda, and they don’t seem unhappy. Reminding you that no matter what life brings you, it is always what you make it. Your attitude makes up your happiness.

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