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Sunday, December 25, 2005The hospital census is low - just a handful of poor souls who are stuck in the 'twixt and 'tween of the holidays - waiting for the day when staffing levels return to normal throughout the medical world so they can get their nursing home placement or surgery. One patient was sitting in his hip chair, a blanket thrown about his shoulders, eating a candy cane. He looked like a king on his throne. I wished him a Merry Christmas, only to be told "There's nothing Merry about it." He'd been sitting there an hour and wanted to get back to bed. He got his wish, so hopefully his Christmas turned out to be just a little bit merrier. And there's something about the hospital at Christmas that magnifies the season. The nursing stations, which are usually a cacophy of voices and ringing phones, are quiet and peaceful for a change. The emergency room phone system plays soft holiday music when you're put on hold, and the halls are bedecked with holly and bells and wrapping paper bedecked doors. Instead of darting about in busy oblivion, people actually acknowledge one another and exchange holiday greetings. There's suffering, of course, but there's something else, too. Everyone seems nicer on Christmas, even though they're working. They're nicer to the patients and they're nicer to each other. It's the one day of the year when love reigns, at least in the hospital. posted by Sydney on 12/25/2005 08:24:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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