A heart at home

Over dinner last week, I had a very interesting conversation with my mother-in-law, Steff.

Steff works at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange. The majority of patients she interacts with are not healthy. As Steff put it, they are fighting for their lives on a daily basis. She told me that it’s pretty easy for her to get to know these patients on a first name basis. Since she knows them this way, she often greets them with a smile and addresses them by name. She said it brings a smile to their face and they usually offer her kind words in return. Of course establishing a personal relationship with these individuals who may only be weeks or months away from their end involves a lot of risk. No one likes knowing someone who dies, let alone knowing their story and the person they were.

So Steff said that after losing a few of these patients, she wondered if she was cut out for this kind of work. In the end, she determined the risk would be worth the reward. She’s made a few friends along the way and has developed strong admiration for these individuals and their struggles. So, she said she will continue to get to know her patient’s and bring about many smiles. After all, it could be the last smile they give or receive.

I found it so comforting listening to her story and realizing how powerful a “hello” or smile could be. And then I remembered a story she had told me about a few weeks before.

She said she was recently laughing with one of her friends and turned around with a smile still on her face. Upon turning around, she made eye contact with someone and they thought she was smiling at them. They returned the smile to her.

Steff said that moment made her think about the facial expressions she has on her face throughout the day. On the weekends for example, she is often in a hurry trying to get around finishing her daily errands. What if she had a frown on her face and someone got the wrong impression? Of course sometimes our face reflects the thoughts going on in our head and we make faces, often unintentionally.

But what if you realized the effect your smile could have on someone else? And what if that realization enabled you to become a better person just by being aware of your expressions and those around you? Are you able to set aside thoughts of a busy schedule and growing bills to think of someone else?

I think I've found a new favorite way to inspire progression.

A smile is a light in the window of the soul indicating that the heart is at home.

- Anonymous

☼ ap