Small outbursts

Yesterday at work most of my patients were Spanish speaking only. Normally I do not have an issue with this because believe it or not, they're pretty great with their babies and need minimal assistance. One of the patients was ready to go home so I saw the father of the baby get a head start to get the car. I grabbed the wheelchair and loaded everyone up and walked to the usual entrance of the hospital that we discharge patients. We waited roughly 15 minutes for this man to pick up his family and nothin'. So I ask the 10 yr old boy if he speaks English (usually the kids do) and he does. I ask if his dad has a cell phone that we can call to see where he's at. The boy says the father has no cell phone. Awesome! We wait a few more minutes and I ask the boy if his dad could possibly be at the ER entrance? The boy says 'yeah probably' so we hightail it over there (it sounds like it's no feat except when you have a diaper bag over your shoulder, pushing a mother and her child and a 10 yr old with a big ol' bag of supplies, it makes us look like we're majorly lost and would like to hitchhike the next available car that pulls up). We get to the ER entrance and no one is there. I wait about 10 more minutes and then call the nurse that had this patient and ask if she had heard anything the father may have said. She says 'how bizarre, no she hadn't heard anything'. One of the other nurses said she'd run down to the other entrance (the one we were just at) to see if the dad was there... and he was. So back we go to the first entrance that we were at. Ay yi yi. It was a freaken mess. 30 minutes of confusion. I respect that you speak a different language.. I get that. But can you please learn to speak English if you live in this country and take advantage of our government system? My favorite was when I got back to the floor and started my 8pm rounds, one of my patients (who yes, just spoke Spanish) said 'thank you lady' when I gave her fresh water. :-|

Meanwhile, I have been bitter lately about a lot of things and a friend of mine posted this on her FB so I wanted to post it here to remember it. I think it's great <3

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

My hope is to start living more like that rather than dwell on things that make me bitter.