Heart and Soul...

Nurses are truly the heart and soul of a hospital. (Same at Memorial Elementary School.) They spend more time with patients than anyone at the hospital. From my observation, not only do nurses provide medical care, they also are psychologists, entertainers, company for the lonely, magicians, and the public relations people for their hospital. If you were to ask anyone about their stay at a hospital, the first comment is usually regarding the quality of care by the nurses. They leave indelible impressions on their patients.

If nurses are the first comment, the gourmet hospital food is usually the second comment made by a former patient. Just think, if nurses could cook the food too...!

My nurses on Tuesday were no exception. When I arrived at pre-op, I felt welcomed to their little corner of the world. My pre-op nurse made sure that I understood the procedure, if I had any questions, and in her own, discreet way, checked to see if I was comfortable with the (minor) surgery. She said that she was sorry that I had to be there, and about the upcoming mastectomy. I gave my regular response,"It's just a boob, nothing important to keep my body functioning." When I was asleep, she turned off the light. When I was cold, she somehow knew to bring me a warmed blanket. (I love those blankets right out of the warmer! Wouldn't it be nice to have a warmed blanket every night during these frigid New England winters?!) When I looked bored, she came in for a little chit chat. (She just got back from visiting her son's family in Burlingame, CA. She said that her son, and half the families in her grandchildren's school, are renters because of the home prices. She was shocked to see a 2bed/1bath home for $1.2 million! I know, crazy. Welcome to the Bay Area...and people think the North Shore is expensive.)

I was impressed by how fit all the nurses are in day surgery. I have never seen so many fit co-workers in one place, other than at Nike. The grandma pre-op nurse was amazingly fit and strong. She is a avid bike rider. They must all be enthusiastic cyclists because some other nurses were talking about the Boston to Provincetown ride and a ride from somewhere in Canada to Portland, Maine. It takes a great deal of strength to constantly be moving patients, equipment and beds around. Plus, they are on their feet all day, unless they are putting on a floor show with strange equipment, or singing "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." However, their strongest muscle was their attitude, and it went a very, very long way!

Shout out to Mer P. - We all know that you will be one of these super nurses! Start working on your song and dance too.

Whacky thought for the day...
Television is grumpifying teenage girls. Bring back "Happy Days" with silly teenagers.

I have observed for many years that 97.6% of all American teenage girls have a huge chip on their shoulders, or they walk around completely aloof, bordering on terminal rudeness. The only time they show any semblance of joy or enthusiasm is when playing a team sport. (Unfortunately, this happy attitude is left on the field or court when the game is over.) If you watch shows targeting this demographic, all you see is drama, drama, drama. Very rarely will a character smile or show genuine happiness. It is not cool to be happy. It is not cool to show any signs of excitement. It is not cool to enjoy the moment. Even Riley slips into this teenatitude periodically, but fortunately Molly is usually nearby, doing something goofy, making Riley snap out of it.

Nowadays, high school girls act like grumpy old ladies, and nurses (sometimes) act like silly teenagers. I'll take silly teenagers any day of the week!