Nurse, are you still able to be awed?

I am writing this on the day that will have the longest/darkest night of the year. It is the first day of Winter; the Winter Solstice. Tonight Saturn and Jupiter will align to form the “great conjunction.” This is a phenominon some call the star of Bethlehem. Whether you believe in the birth of Christ and the star of Bethlehem leading wisemen to visit the savior of the World, or not; you have to admit that this is a pretty cool thing.

It’s actually quite something to have this “star” form tonight, on the darkest night, in a year that has been the darkest, for most, in modern times. Pretty awe-inspiring.

Nurse, are you still able to find awe in your work? Are you able to see the miracles of hope that happen every day on the job? Can you still be awed by the patient recovering that you thought would not? Are you able to appreciate the awesome knowledge and skill some of your co-workers have? Can you see the calm that one charge nurse has while everyone around her spins and burns out? Can you still recognize and be touched by the goodness in people after being torched by healthcare in 2020?

Go outside tonight. Look up into the darkest of dark night skies and be awed by something bigger than you. Let it give you hope.