I’m beginning the process to become a volunteer for a hospice program, and reading through the study materials they give to all the volunteers really got me to thinking. Why do you have to be dying to have “rules” like this? Rules such as what the patient “ likes to eat” is more important than what they “ should eat” or Surround the patient with positive things, make their environment cheerful, open a window, feed the birds, turn on classical music to cheer them.
As I’m reading through this list of suggestions and ideas to make their transition easier I can’t help but wonder if we could prolong others’ lives if we practiced this on a daily basis. Other people, people that are not directly staring death in the eyes. Why do we wait until someone is terminally diagnosed to think of ways to make life easier for them? Why don’t we always eat to make our souls happy? Why don’t we buy more birdhouses or take more time to reflect and listen to music? Wouldn’t less stress in life save us some of this heartache later?
I wonder if instead of only having Hospice Care Centers, which we do vitally need, they also introduced Inspiration Centers. When you’re feeling depressed, when the flashbacks from war keep you up at night, when a loved one dies, when life seems to be losing the glory for you that it once had, there should be places to go. Places to go for life. Those that are living, and will continue to do so, need to have a place to go as well. A place that ignites the fire inside them again, gives them a reason to appreciate the life they will continue living. I know, there’s church, there’s AA, there’s gyms, there’s places for certain groups of people, but what about a place for everyone that only has the agenda of loving. Inspiring love, growing love, and then teaching them to nurture it as they go back into their world. There should be places for loving life, not just preserving the last moments of it.
For now I’ll go back to finishing this training, and try to love those that need it in their final hours as best I can, but I hope someday there can be places that inspire the life some get to keep. There are so many unimaginable opportunities in this life, and you never know who needs just a simple little nudge to believe in themselves again and go achieve something grand! I pray that day comes in my lifetime. Be kind to others, it’ll grow miracles. XO Joy
