Chronicles of Living. Milly

22 years old living in the Florida Keys. Applied to the hospital two blocks over and to hospital about an hour drive away in Marathon. Also the long term care facility. Started working as a waitress until my license for nursing came through. Waitressing panned out nicely, as I met some of the greatest women I've known and we still can hang like we did then....love these gals!! But waitressing wasn't fulfilling my desire to care for others. I mean people love getting their wings and beer, but wasn't quite the same. I did get to meet some awesome people that i served there too, and learned that the story of chasing down a bad tipper and saying "here, you take the 12 cents, you obviously need it more than your waitress does".... does happen..... my manager John did it when a woman left me 12 cents...... I felt terrible because maybe she really couldn't afford more, he said, then she shouldn't eat at a restaurant. Well either way my stories exponentially improved in paradise in long term care. Apparently, hospital jobs are minimal down there as well. Miss Milly. She was 106. I sh*t you not. She had a beautiful room. Paintings, furniture like from Dixie Carter's livingroom on Designing Women, and always smelled of flowers. She had a roomate for several years. Her son visited regularly but was in his 80s and physically unable to care for her himself. Every evening she'd scoot her wheelchair to the nurses' station, park it, get up, walk to the counter and say "hello there, I am Mildred Smith (obviously not her name), I am 104 years old, I am traveling and staying in room 119. I have a traveling companion who's not so sophisticated. I'd like to know if you could assist her." We'd always inform her that she is indeed 106, and we'd be happy to assist her. She'd laugh and say "106? Oh my!", get back in her wheelchair and go back to her room quite pleased. One afternoon her son came to the desk and thanked us for our kindness. No thanks are ever necessary. We told him how much we loved our evening talks. He said she was so much happier at the facility than she was at home. when she began to forget things she'd get frustrated and depressed. Here, she was traveling with a companion who's company she enjoyed. Here, she had purpose as she had to help her eccentric friend. Here, she was happy again. Initially, watching them eat lunch together every day, I felt bad he had her here, because he "couldn't " care for her. Now I see he wanted her there, for her happiness. MIND BLOWN. But reflective, I made lots of money waitressing, had fun at work, and easily could've made more working weekends there, instead of my $15/hour nursing gig.... but I was happy there too .