"I don't know how you do it"

This is an absolutely true story. Yesterday, I was walking through the hospital lobby in my lab coat and stethoscope when a man in his 30s started walking next to me. Out of the blue, he said "I don't know how you all do this. I could never do it."
Me "You mean work in a hospital?"
Him "Yes. My Mom died here a month ago and now my girlfriend is having surgery. I know you all save lives and stuff, but how do you deal with all the other stuff?"
Me "Everyone has something they are really good at. For a lot of us who work here, this is the thing we are really good at"
Him "I still don't know how you do it"
Me "There are days this job is really, really hard... but then there are those moments when you know that you have helped someone, either by saving their life or easing their suffering. You carry those moments that touch you and rejuvenate you forward, to help you deal with the bad days."
Him "That makes sense, but I still don't know how you do it"

We talked for maybe a moment more, and then went our separate ways. Obviously he was a young man who needed someone to talk to. As I read all the Nurses Day posts this morning, I thought of my conversation. Being a nurse is a calling. It can be thankless, and exhausting, and emotional... but at the end of the day, week, or month, you have absolutely touched someone, and made someone's life easier.


Happy Nurses Day!