I’ve been stuck on this prompt a while.... but things usually come to me. There’s things I admire in lots of different people. But there is one group of people who I truly admire… my chosen family.
These are the people who I admire. For so many reasons. These are the people who have picked me up when I’ve fallen, literally and figuratively. They are the ones who have been there because they wanted to, not because they had to be. They have done so much for me. Not because there was something in it for them. Because that’s the kind of people they are.
Fixed my laptop when I dropped it one day when I fell. Made me copies for my job application. Took me out to lunch when I couldn’t afford it. Let me help plan out celebrations of life. Got me to help with wedding planning. Helped me pick out clothes when I lost so much weight. Listened to me when I needed to talk. Hugged me when they saw me. Prayed for me when I needed it. Picked on me for laughs, and I picked right back. Cheered me on when I would attempt things I thought I couldn’t do. Believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself anymore.
It is not perfect. Like any other family… we have drama. We have bullshit. We have dysfunction. But… I wouldn’t have it any other way. In the end… we ARE family. We take care of each other. All differences aside, when one of us needs help, the rest are there to help.
These should be people you admire also… these are the people who work 2-3, sometimes more, jobs to make ends meet. They are the ones who get up at 3 in the morning to go help someone they don’t know, in places they may never have been. They are the ones who will work a cardiac arrest with everything in themselves to bring back someone dear to you. They are the ones who will treat those being transported to Hospice House with respect and dignity. They are the ones who will help get someone to a hospital who needs surgery after a traumatic car crash to save their life. They are the ones who will function on half a cup of cold coffee to answer the call for help after hours of not getting a break to go pee, much less eat. They are the ones who will give medication to help someone struggling to breathe.
They are the ones who will see things that would make your nightmares seem like happy places. They carry these images with them forever. They will go home after their shift, unfortunately many times, to people who cannot understand the stresses or the emotional impact of the job on them. But it’s just what we do.
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