Unit 7

During this exercise, I thought of a patient that I took care of a few years ago. He and I grew very close during the time we had together. I thought of all the chats that we had and all the love that poured through while he spoke of helping to raise his neices. It was obvious that he loved them as his own and they loved him just as much. When I was first assigned to him, I was told that he was very difficult and cantankerous toward all of his caregivers. To this day I only remember him calling me "baby" and kissing my hand after each visit. He loved Dr. Pepper and honeybuns so I made sure that he had one of each during each visit and he would give me the biggest toothless smile that would light up his whole face. These special visits came back to me and filled me with love and peace because I had the privledge of giving him special care at the end of his time here on earth. I also received something special when he trusted me to care for him and showed me so much affection all the way to the end.

The saying "one can not lead where one has not gone", holds true for me. If someone has not experienced something for themselves, then how can they truly lead by example? As an example, I chose to change my eating lifestyle to a plant base diet. As my health, attitude, and physical self changed, it was noticeable to the rest of my family. My husband, daughter, and one son followed my lead because of the improvements that they saw in me. I now have other family members asking me how they can make the same changes. It's about leading by example.