On Wednesday, driving to UCLA, I was still reeling from the unspeakable tragedy in Texas. I was also concerned about the kids in neuropsych whom Gus was going to be visiting. Fortunately, when we arrived, I found out that they had been temporarily sheltered from the news.
It turned out to be a beautiful morning with Gus. He was at the top of his game, literally smiling and showing off his tiny teeth as he rolled over for belly rubs. The kids under twelve were as happy as Gus. It was as if they were feeding off of each others’ energy.
The teens were equally engaged, fun and enthusiastic. They shared stories about their dogs and asked how to teach them tricks. But looking into their eyes as we chatted on the outside deck, I worried. Many of them are emotionally fragile so I couldn’t imagine how they would process the news, even with the help of the therapists.
Two of my grandchildren are teenagers so the next day I asked my daughter how they were handling it. She said that, of course, they were sad and upset but they weren’t shocked. Their school has “active shooter” drills. When I was growing up in Syracuse, all we had was the occasional fire drill.
Fortuitously, after leaving our units we headed outside to help celebrate Unity and Kindness Day. It was a UCLA Health event being held in conjunction with Nurses’ Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. A few of the People Animal Connection dogs and a miniature horse were perfect additions to the festivities.
Health care workers were selecting random acts of kindness or writing customized messages on pieces of paper to hang on a golden ring. It was to showcase their good intentions in the coming days. A chaplain quieted the crowd to speak movingly about what is going on in the world. Then he asked for a moment of silence.
As I sat down at my computer today, I wanted to write something positive and respectful, almost like another moment of silence. I hoped that a feel good post would bring some comfort without trivializing the senseless loss of life. We need to reach out to each other with love and kindness, in the hope that we will find unity.
