I am often brought to tears after working with a patient with physical disabilities or who's life has been exceptionally hard. I don't know if I am just more sensitive or maybe I don't understand as much as I should about the whole grand eternal plan. Today I had a patient with severe dementia. He kept squeezing his eyes shut and yelling at me to stop trying to take his eyes out. (No, I wasn't trying to take his eyes out). Working with him made me feel overwhelmingly sad. It was such a tender situation. I feel so bad for him and his wife of 60 years and the nurse who works with him and everyone at the nursing home.
I have a similar but slightly less tear evoking experience when I see someone out and about or on TV with physical disabilities. I get a tightness in my chest and feel like I could cry at the drop of a hat. I don't know if this is a normal response but it really makes me uncomfortable. I know they are equal in all important aspects of life and that they have people who love them very much and obviously God loves them just as much as everyone else.
I also really want to run up to them and see if I can help them. I always offer to help blind people cross the street or give food to the homeless. Then I worry about whether I've offended them or worry they think I'm implying they aren't independent. Maybe I just think too much. You know?
The other day I gave an individual serving cup of peaches I had in my purse to someone asking for money. She told me she didn't want food, but when she saw it she told me she actually does like those, so she'll take it. Yeah, I felt like a dork. Thus the reason I worry I'm offending.
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