A couple months ago, near the end of a night shift at the hospital, I emerged from the sleep room to go to the cafeteria for breakfast. First, I passed the receptionist for the waiting room. She greeted me and commented on how it was a relatively uneventful night, and that I’ve had some eventful nights! Now, I think I’ve had some crazy nights, but for the receptionist to also recognize that made me feel affirmed and validated. Someone else had noticed. Then, in the hallway on the way to the cafeteria I ran into another chaplain who asked me about the night, and then commented, “And you’ve had some rough nights!” It was another un-looked-for affirmation and validation of my work. I didn’t think I needed the acknowledgement by others, but it felt good to be noticed. Being seen, feeling seen, makes such a difference. Having my thoughts spoken out loud by others made a difference to me. My initial reaction was that I didn’t know I needed the acknowledgement out loud until it was said. On further reflection, I still don’t know that I
Healing: Feeling Seen
Healing: Feeling Seen
Healing: Feeling Seen
A couple months ago, near the end of a night shift at the hospital, I emerged from the sleep room to go to the cafeteria for breakfast. First, I passed the receptionist for the waiting room. She greeted me and commented on how it was a relatively uneventful night, and that I’ve had some eventful nights! Now, I think I’ve had some crazy nights, but for the receptionist to also recognize that made me feel affirmed and validated. Someone else had noticed. Then, in the hallway on the way to the cafeteria I ran into another chaplain who asked me about the night, and then commented, “And you’ve had some rough nights!” It was another un-looked-for affirmation and validation of my work. I didn’t think I needed the acknowledgement by others, but it felt good to be noticed. Being seen, feeling seen, makes such a difference. Having my thoughts spoken out loud by others made a difference to me. My initial reaction was that I didn’t know I needed the acknowledgement out loud until it was said. On further reflection, I still don’t know that I