good day

Today was definitely a day I was anticipating. I spent nearly seven hours shadowing a hospice nurse.

My path leading up to this point has been a strange one. It all started several years ago when I saw the magnificent Magnolia from Paul Thomas Anderson. In the film, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Phil Parma, a hospice nurse. I remember this thought striking me: there exists an actual person seated bedside, aiding the passing of another human being. And it happens every day. The thought of the experience itself excited me – not simply witnessing the phases of death, but to help that human being pass as peaceful as possible.

Prior to watching the film, I’d have passing thoughts about pursuing a career in nursing, but it was always a fleeting thought, and I paid it no mind. But one day, about three years ago I watched the film again. I watched it when I had just turned 30, and the thought, or perhaps fear, of going nowhere as a public transit bus driver (a career that chose me and one I did not want) inspired me to enroll in a local community college. After completing a series of prerequisite courses, I successfully entered a program that accepted a limited number of students.

And here I am. Hopeful graduation in December of this year, pass state boards and begin the path.

t/c/m

~ by the coordinates of memories on 4 June 2011.