What I learned on the Job: Hospital Intern #2

Situation #2: I was making the rounds at the hospital when I approached a woman, a man, and a little girl (I'm not exactly sure if they were family or friends) who was waiting for a patient that was having a procedure done. I asked them if they would like any water or snacks while they were waiting. I believe the man asked if he could have a glass of wine or some ice cream, I can't remember which. I replied by saying they can call the nutrition services for ice cream, but the wine would have to be smuggled in (as a joke, I really hope that no one took me serious). At any rate, we all got to talking and they asked me if I had a job, what school I went to, and what my plans for the future were. I told them what my plans were and they were impressed. The man told me that I could do whatever I set my mind to and that anything worth having in life will be hard to obtain, but will be worth obtaining. When I left the room, I felt so inspired. The morning before, I was contemplating taking a break from college and just working. My grades sucked and I wasn't enjoying any of my classes. I got so discouraged I could barely get enough energy to go to class and study. It was really tough, but his words brightened my day. I finished my rounds and as the family was leaving, the man gave me a hug and wished me good luck.

Life Lesson: Words of encouragement come from people you'd least expect, but always during the time you need to hear them. I sometimes wonder why I didn't hear these things from an advisor (some of them are pretty incompetent...) or someone who knew me and knew what I had been struggling with (I don't think a lot of people knew. I'm pretty good about putting on a game face). Yet here I was working at the hospital, getting experience for something I'm not sure I wanted, and a random stranger encourages me to stick with it and follow my goals. So I had to take a different route to reach my goals and both goals (the mental health nursing and creative writing) are getting more and more obtainable each day. So be friendly to people and they may surprise you by saying the exact thing you needed to hear that day.