Not today, not so much. I’ve been picking up overtime on Saturdays. At first it was just dialysis runs but now I mostly do grocery shopping with participants. I am getting burnt out on it, mainly because grocery stores fatigue me and make my body hurt. And while some participants are really good about shopping–getting in the store, getting what they need, following a list–other participants are, well, just a mess. I feel like I have to babysit and I don’t like it. Today would have been one of those days (one anxiety inducing participant that you have to prod along, and one unknown who my boss later tells me has multiple personalities, ha ha, thanks for the warning) except that today they both canceled. That’s ok, I was kind of dreading the trip anyway so now I got nothing.
But, of course, I digress. My intention was to write about reasons I love my job.
There are many reasons why…my boss for one. She messaged me while I was on vacation that she missed me. She called me after work the day I got back just because she hadn’t seen me and she wanted to chat. That really felt good.
What I really wanted to write about, just 2 little vignettes of what makes me happy when I am working.
I picked up a participant and he was talking about how bored he was, how he couldn’t wait for the weather to break so he could go for a walk, and how Covid-19 was affecting him getting out and doing things. He said he probably wouldn’t be around when things got back to normal. I was like, “Oh no, why?? What’s wrong?” Thinking that something was wrong with him, that he had some horrible disease. He said, “Well, I’m 77 and I didn’t expect to make it this long.”
“Why not?”
“Because I was an asshole!!”
I laughed my head off at that and said,
“Don’t you know that it’s the assholes that live the longest?”
That was a fun trip. If the guy WAS an asshole, he doesn’t seem like one anymore. He was totally sweet to me.
***
One day last week I pick up this German participant we have. I love her accent and her German first name and nickname. Makes me think of my grandma.
Well this lady comes walking almost jauntily out of her apartment without her walker! Surprised the hell out of me. I almost didn’t think it was her.
“Where is your walker???”
“I haven’t used in 2 weeks!”
“NO WAY! How’d you do that??” I asked, thinking medications, hardcore pain drugs.
“Bollywood! I’ve been dancing to Bollywood movies everyday. Belly dancing. No more back pain, no more pain…” She later showed me how she could lift her arms over her head now, and also pointed out that her legs weren’t swollen. It was awesome!
It makes me so happy to think of her dancing to Bollywood movies.
Jacquelyn's Space 
Leave a comment