National Nurses Week
Have you ever needed a nurse? Of course you have. If you’re a living human being, you needed a nurse from the first seconds of your life.
This past week was National Nurses Week. It’s highly appropriate that we set aside a full week to appreciate these heroes who live among us. In times of crises they administer medications and therapies to preserve lives. They restore order amidst chaos because of their clarity of vision and focused actions. With a reassuring touch and a calming voice they restore our own confidence and keep fears at bay.
The Elsevier Journal of Nursing recently provided a collection of articles noting how nurses inspire, innovate, and influence. The articles note the multi-faceted lives of nurses and how skills and knowledge and perspectives are constantly shaped to serve each of us better.
Personal appreciation for nurses
Having endured three heart surgeries I can attest the value of key services nurses provide. Beyond the seemingly mundane routines and middle-of-the-night interruptions, let’s not forget that these angels constantly monitor our health, make decisive life-and-death decisions, and warmly dole out reassurance simply by being present.
If you happen to be a nurse, please accept my deepest gratitude.
The world needs nurses to restore order out of chaos
It may seem to many that we are in need of a nurse (an army of nurses?) to attend to our global strife, our nation’s struggling governance, the political turmoil, and the abundant social injustices we experience. Those same nursing skills noted above are sorely needed, as the world face’s the confusion in every corner.
Carolyn O’Hara, Managing Editor of “The Week,” notes:
It’s no wonder Americans’ faith in once trusted institutions is in decline. The public’s trust in government, the media, and even one another this year recorded its steepest drop in the nearly two decades that polling company Edelman has been tracking it.
Trust is a basis for a positive future vision
Trust is a key element in building or maintaining or restoring a sense of order. If you have a sense of hope flowing through your veins, you must be aware of what you trust. A futuristic vision wherein you and I – all of us – experience an existence made better than our past is born out of such trust.
Trust is not a simple happenstance. It is formed out of such things as thought, actions, consistency, and a caring/loving capacity to serve. It emerges because of the heroes who touch our lives.
I mentioned Dan Rather’s book, “What Unites Us,” in the previous blog (Teachers Teach The Power Of Voting) and quote him again here:
…life is about creating order out of chaos. … [and quoting heroes among us he says] The work may be hard, the personal rewards uncertain, but we refuse to accept that the world cannot be made a better place.”
Heroism in all of us
National Nurses Week reminds us of services often hidden and underappreciated. It reminds us that seemingly small and simple actions make large differences. It should also remind us that there might be a nursein all of us. It emerges when we care, when we nurture and contribute, and when we serve.
I contend that each of us dines at this hero’s table whenever we take a small step forward to a better future. We do so whenever we vote. You’re exceptional if you vote. The Sanders Institute noted that the Pew Report 2016 election results showed 44% of voters did not vote! Now, in the 2018 mid-term elections, that percentage will increase so more than half of the nation’s voters will not participate in the process. If you vote in this election season, you’re unique – maybe even heroic.
It may not seem heroic when we vote but give it some thought:
We assess candidates and measures. We make decisions about how best to shape our future in terms of fairness and justice and forging order out of chaos. We take action when we vote — heroically.
Voting is heroic as it forges our futures
This is the season for many state primaries across this nation. Our ability to vote is precious and vital for our immediate futures. It’s also precious for sustaining what we value for decades to come. Let’s honor that bit of freedom this nation protects so well. We need to call on our best selves and remember to vote.
As you vote, I hope you will also consider a futurist vision regarding our presidential elections. Consider a vision wherein every vote counts and every state matters. It is a vision that promises to capture the best each of us contributes when we cast our presidential ballots.
Equal Voice Voting (EVV) is the only voting approach that listens to every voting voice and elicits Electoral College results everyone can comprehend. EVV is not radical – it restores consistency and order. EVV is fair. EVV is a key step in fostering trust as it restores order amidst our political chaos.
When you vote, be proud of your heroiccontribution; and, if you’re alive, you may want to thank a nurse!