Psych Nurses Make a Difference

style and idea taken from my favorite poet Taylor Mali's poem " What Teachers Make" with permission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpog1_NFd2Q

I've hear it asked again and again

what do psych nurses do?

I mean really, isn't that just a waste of your skills?

and you're really smart, why would you want to work in psychiatry?

I smile and tell them

noooo...it is a specialty

it takes a whole new level of skill

and stretches ones techniques in ways you cannot imagine

Really?

YES, really...

let me tell you what I DO...

I keep people from hurting themselves

not because they "just need attention"

but because they have a depression so deep

that in their hearts and souls they believe the world is better without them

I listen to 16-year-olds tell me stories of their lives

and again and again I ask myself

how do we call ourselves human

and yet see fit to throw away our kids

after they have been molested and ignored and beaten

during the most important part of their lives

I see kids that eat from garbage cans

sleep on streets

and are babies having babies

I can't sleep at night when the pain

of an-18-year-old seeing his mother shot when he was 10

rings in my ears

over and over and over and over

My skin crawls when people

make judgemets about a mental health illnesses

they know nothing about

and secretly I hope someday they will

and that it will hurt just a little

My heart aches when I hear of one more loss

because of the misinformation

and stigma the media spreads, the movies sensationalize

and you buy into

And yet there are times I laugh

not in contempt or in fun

but to just survive another day

times when the bizarre is so real

it is rediculous

I shake my head at the brain

swirling in a mix of chemicals

that create a chaos of senselessness and confusion

no more a fault of the person

than a birth defect is the fault of the heart

Yes, I have given god medication,

and held down vampires

I have protected some from the voices

and brought others to safety from the devil

because on Easter weekends

he is particlarly active

I have also held the hand of a soldier

when he talked of the dying child in his arms

a scene he can't erase from his dreams

and it haunts him every time he hears a jack hammer

I have watched police officers vomit

after CPR on a teenager

in a cross walk

when the car drove by the bus

I wrapped my arm around the wife

of the fisherman

they needed to ID

after he was pulled from the water

I have met Charles Manson

in fact I have met a few of him

and in the bed right next door

was jesus

yes it was ironically funny

with hitler just down the hall

I have seen DT's missed by MD's

in the ED's

and I fought but no one would listen

until the seizure happened

and his brain died

I calm down someone that is manic

reassure the anxious

answer the questions of the paranoid

walk with the agitated

put to bed the exhausted

I see adults laugh and their children point

at what they think is funny and "crazy"

but I walk towards someone hallucinating

because their brains are sick

and that person is more than an object

that you can cross the street to avoid

So the next time you wonder

if I am wasting my skills...

I ask you...who should care for those so very ill?

and.... "if not me, who?"

Yes, I am a Psych Nurse

"I make a god damn difference

........what about you?"

HCD Sept 5/10

A Hippie Turned 50

It's not my first blog, though it is the first I plan to share with friends, followers, and anyone that may take an interest in my mindless, and sometimes mindful, drivel about .... well... about life, love and all the rest of "it".

I have the great advantage of passing age 50 not so long ago, and despite my well earned wrinkles, sun damage, and white hair, I wouldn't really change anything except a few meals and some poundage. The wildness of my youth, the fears of child rearing, the challenges of career, and the spiritual growth of turning 40 all leave indelible marks on the body, mind and soul that are mine, and mine alone. Whether good, bad or ugly I embrace it all and celebrate a life well lived.

So what I wonder, do I have to blog about? That answer will come in fits and starts, but I do know I have plenty of stories, lots of memories, funny ideas, and a bit of advice. I also have more adventures and learning ahead of me, and I can guarantee those will likely be the most humorous yet, having learned the all important lesson to laugh, and laugh a lot, at the things that come my way every day.

For the moment, I will sign off as I play with this page putting together all the pieces to make up the space where my words will be written. I will be back with the promised daily musings that make up my world. I hope they amuse you, give you food for thought, and from time to time, I hope you find a bit of help to aid your journey.

For now my friend,

Namaste