Where do they all belong
I was listening to some Beatles music recently, and one of the songs was Eleanor Rigsby. I always found that song exceptionally sad, and this time wasn't any different. It got me thinking about all of the "invisible" people we encounter daily, and how many there are.
I realized, in my visits to the hospital, that I encounter at least 15 people on any visit, but I wouldn't remember their names. There's the receptionist -- who changes each time; the nurses; the orderlies; the technicians... Add to those the volunteers, the security officers, etc, and it's easy to see how they add up. I started thinking about how many people I encounter daily, and then I wonder how many of them remember me?
We all like to think that we're remarkable, special and that we leave a strong positive impression. To our families and loved ones, we are. But outside of that charmed circle, we're another face in the crowd, or a shadow that passes. We're invisible to others also.
The only way we go from the periphery and the shadows is to make connections with others. The more we interact with our fellow humans, the more real they become and the more substance we develop. We're only as real as the impact we have on people, so by being engaged in life, we reduce the invisibility.
I've made an effort to remember more of the names of the staff at the hospital. We share occasional jokes; one of the orderlies sings for me (he apparently was in a band as a teen) and I know the types of dogs that 3 nurses have. So they are more real to me than they were. I hope that I am real to them too -- that makes fewer shadows!
I realized, in my visits to the hospital, that I encounter at least 15 people on any visit, but I wouldn't remember their names. There's the receptionist -- who changes each time; the nurses; the orderlies; the technicians... Add to those the volunteers, the security officers, etc, and it's easy to see how they add up. I started thinking about how many people I encounter daily, and then I wonder how many of them remember me?
We all like to think that we're remarkable, special and that we leave a strong positive impression. To our families and loved ones, we are. But outside of that charmed circle, we're another face in the crowd, or a shadow that passes. We're invisible to others also.
The only way we go from the periphery and the shadows is to make connections with others. The more we interact with our fellow humans, the more real they become and the more substance we develop. We're only as real as the impact we have on people, so by being engaged in life, we reduce the invisibility.
I've made an effort to remember more of the names of the staff at the hospital. We share occasional jokes; one of the orderlies sings for me (he apparently was in a band as a teen) and I know the types of dogs that 3 nurses have. So they are more real to me than they were. I hope that I am real to them too -- that makes fewer shadows!
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