There was a coldness in the room that presented itself like a frigid shoulder when I walked in. I was there, more out of formality, I could have offered the plan without physically seeing her. But as I introduced myself, my usual attempt at reassurance did nothing to penetrate the fear in her eyes. Her mask, a meager half attempt, served more as a distraction as she focused on drawing in her next breath of oxygen. I conducted my interview and spoke to her, doing my best to maintain that afore mentioned level of reassurance. But I'll admit, I was one quarter distracted by her mask which refused to stay put, and three quarters distracted by her nurse. Dressed in full PPE, she busied herself in a flurry of movements doing her best to keep her back to us, and when she was mid-turn, took care never to make eye contact. But with that brief look towards her face I didn't blame her for keeping her back to us. She faithfully carried out her job, but her face betrayed her. In that brief moment I glimpsed a mask I've never seen before, and struggle to describe. It was the source of coldness filling the room, and tension, made thick by a combination of hurt, hate, and frustration. As I renewed my attention to wrap up my interview, I could not find a shred of understanding in her scared eyes. She had no idea what she was causing to rise up in her nurse. Completely clueless to how her actions were affecting those around her. Completely self-focused without understanding how her community on a grander scale was affected by her. I finally stripped my PPE and exited.
Let me describe this in a different scenario taking any and all viruses out of the picture, because there is so much false information and conspiracy out there that it's not at all surprising that Dick and Jane can't tell Spot from ball or up from down anymore.
Let's look at alcohol. There are laws in place which we as citizens must abide by. There is a drinking age and a blood alcohol limit. Where did the age of 21 come from, or a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 come from? Or better yet, why were those laws needed? They were advocated for and put into place for protection of not only the individual choosing to drink, but for every person around that individual as well. They were put into place not only to save the life of the individual choosing to drink, but to save the life of every person around that individual. That law was put into place not out of a desire to restrict, but a desire to protect, a desire to prevent death not only for the individual, but for every human being surrounding that individual. A desire to protect the community as a whole. Now we are the land of the free, and boy do we love our freedoms. We love our freedom so much that we almost daily exercise our freedom to stand up and demand more freedom. And more. And more. We are so incredibly free that we have the freedom to disregard the laws countless mothers have advocated for and drink under the age of 21 and beyond the bac limit of 0.08 and then drive. And because we have that freedom, a mother will never get to hug her 4 year old son again. And because of that freedom, 74 year old grandma and 75 year old grandpa will eventually be able to leave the hospital, but only by living out the last of their days in a nursing home.
Our government respecting our demands for freedom is a huge blessing. And with huge blessing comes huge responsibility. The protection of our communities, of our neighbors, of our families and of the strangers we pass by on the street has now become our individual responsibility. I would be the first to admit I struggle with selfishness, but we are. We as Americans, because we live in such a blessed country, with freedom, have become so unbelievably selfish that we don't even realize how selfish we are. We are blind to how living in a community is affected by an individual decision. Whether its a decision to drink and drive, a decision to buckle our seat belt when in a vehicle, a decision to pay our taxes, or a decision to wash our hands with soap after using the restroom. It's never just about you. It's about community.
It's never just about you. It's about community. If not for you... do it for that nurse.
Talk to me.
Much Love.
1 comment:
Amen!
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