|
Tip
There are a kind of people who do not need to talk or move to make others happy, just their smiles and their looks can light up your whole day, like a warm, reassuring and rewarding light.
Ms. H. is one of those people.
She came to see me for a massage, bringing a gift certificate that had been given to her by a friend.
At first, I thought this gentleman was her husband.
“No, no, he is my friend; but a very good friend. “
Ms. H. works in hospitals, CHSLDs or retirement homes. She cares for seniors who are in palliative care.
During her treatment, she told me a lot of sad stories that she experienced during 11 years of work.
In a word, we can say that the society is not very generous with the elderly, this is often true of their own families.
She told me that she had conflicts with hospital authorities because she did not accept their ways of treating old people.
Some of her experiences in hospital were so difficult and cumbersome for her that now she refuses to work in the same place.
She explained that she is now working “on call”. In this way she has no security or pension plan, but she has more freedom. If the situation on site becomes unacceptable, she simply does not return.
She told me that even though her opinion is not important, she still retains her ability to protest, even if that voice is weak.
Her experiences touched me a lot, and I immediately understood where this light comes from around her, it is the light of her humanity.
Her job, as well as mine, as a massage therapist, is to provide care for people.
Thanks to this work, we have many opportunities to take care of people, and at the same time, we have the immense privilege of experiencing incredible human adventures. This makes us think about the life ; to better understand it and to grow up.
When her treatment was over, she gave me the gift certificate as payment, and she gave me a $10 bill saying she liked me a lot.
I told her that it was my job and, hence, I could not accept that money.
She once again pushed the $10 bill towards me on the table, saying that it was a small gift of nothing at all.
I told her that I had a lot of admiration for her too, and that the payment was already made, as I was pushing back the bill.
A third time, she put it ahead of me, telling me that her income was perhaps limited, but that she wanted to offer me a coffee.
Finally I did not have a choice, I told her that the gentleman who had bought the gift certificate for her, not only paid for the massage, but also gave me a $20 tips in her name, in advance.
So, I explained her that because of that, I could not accept this money.
She smiled and told me that neither she nor the gentleman are rich people, but it did not matter.
I told her that I was very happy to meet them both, because they are very good people.
She hugged me warmly, then she left, but her light still lingered in the room…
|
发表评论