My Dear Nursing,
We have been together for a long time. It's 30 years now. You met me as a young student and made me a nurse. Here I am, 51 years old, with 27 epic years of work and life experience as a staff nurse.
My dear, where has the time gone? We saw and did so much together! A tremendous, enormous amount. They say time flies, and indeed it does.
It does not feel like the end for us. It never will be.
Being with you, my dear Nursing, is never dull, never boring, never predictable, never grey, never quiet, never cold, never lonely, never low…never ever!
You made me happy. You made me proud. You made me empathetic. You made me laugh. You made me cry. You worried me to death. You made me the happiest woman on earth. You pushed me through the days, through the nights, through the months, and through the years. You made me go further, with curiosity, open eyes, fear, and worry.
You pushed me forward and tested me again and again, always learning. How could I ever say it has been boring with you? How could I ever say I have not been fulfilled?
If that were the case, we would have divorced by now. The thought never crossed my mind. And I am grateful for it. We have to appreciate our years and our growing up together. We must never take situations with our patients for granted. As a nurse, every single day is different. These words you taught me and so much more.
My dear Nursing, you are my profession. You make me a proud lady. You make me a respectable lady for my country, my society, my family and my friends. In my eyes, you mean so much that it is sometimes beyond my comprehension. You are education, you are care, you are empowerment, you are courage, you are compassion, you are communication, you are commitment, you are hard work, you are dedication, you are competence, you are sympathy, you are empathy, you are emotion, you are teamwork, you are unshockable, you are calm, you are loud, you are heroic, you are life and death together. Most importantly, you are in my heart.
You belong to me, and I belong to you.
What would I have done without you? The true answer is 'I don't know'. And I mean that. I cannot imagine another profession that would have shown and taught me so much. You were and still are my door opener for great opportunities. I am not at the end of my nursing path. We are still travelling hand-in-hand together and staying strong.
Strong like a rock, strong like a mountain.
My dear Nursing, let's never stop. Standing still is not an option, and you know it. We never stop learning. We never stop caring. The sky shall not be our limit. The questions will never end, or we will lose our curiosity. It's our curiosity that makes us nurses.
My dear Nursing, I am so happy and grateful that I made the right decision when I met you 30 years ago.
I shall never look back with regret.
If I could turn back time, we would meet again. Forever and ever.
With much love,
Sabine
