Do you ever get this intense feeling that you should do something? It’s almost like being pulled toward a certain direction. I had that feeling a few days ago. I had the sudden urge to go visit my uncle in the nursing home. It was already late and visiting hours stop at 8:00pm. At this point, it was 6:45pm and it takes me about 30 minutes to get there. I was exhausted but thought I should trust my intuition and go- so I did.
My uncle had a new roommate whom I never met before. His name is Robin. I was helping my uncle out when I heard Robin sneeze, so I said “Bless you”. He couldn’t hear me so I went next to his bed so he could see me. I smiled at him and said “Bless you”. He said “Thank you”, then grabbed my hand and said that he was going to die which broke my heart into pieces. He was by himself, cold, and scared. I helped him with a few things while him and I were chatting. He was telling me about his life. We both share the love of writing which was pretty awesome. He was really tired so I told him that I was going to come back in the next day or two and him and I were going to talk more. He smiled and said that he would love that.
I did go back, but I was 12 hours too late. He had passed in the middle of the night. Ugh- it hurts my heart so bad to know that I couldn’t be there more for him. There is another lady who sits at the front door. I see her every time I come in the nursing home. She is always sitting there like she’s waiting for someone, only no one comes. This one particular day she was wearing a coral colored dress with a few bracelets on her wrist. She really did look amazing. I told her she looked absolutely beautiful. She teared up and put her head down and said “No one calls me beautiful anymore”. Another strike to the heart.
Why do I tell you this? Because there is someone out there who needs you. They need what you have. I’m not talking about material things. I’m talking about your friendship, your heart, a kind word, 5 minutes of your time, a simple smile. Those things go a long way. Robin reminded me to appreciate life. To not take for granted the simple things. Things like our 5 senses - taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch. Do you know how powerful all those things are? We don’t really realize it until we can’t do any of those things anymore. How about the power of human connection? Have you ever met someone and thought “Wow this is my person” or “We could be really great friends”, but then you do nothing about it? What happens then? A great opportunity could be lost all because of fear. How about the power of a compliment? We are all struggling in our own way with something. How awesome is it to have someone say “Hey you’re doing a great job keep it up!”, or “I’m proud of you”, or “You look absolutely gorgeous today”. You never know- you may even save a life.
We all come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds. That’s what is so beautiful. We are all fascinating in our own different ways, but what joins us together is that we are all human. So, the next time you feel that pull to go do something, please do it. Don’t miss out on an opportunity because you’re afraid, or you think I’ll do it when I have time. The time is now, later is not promised to us. Never underestimate a compliment. You have no idea whose life you will change. Most of all my beautiful friend believe in the power of you. If you don’t go after what you want you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask the answer will always be no. If you don’t step forward, you’ll always be in the same place. Take a risk, take a chance, and make a change.
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