My Virtual Reading Room

Donna Cardillo, RN The Inspiration Nurse

“When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.” ~Unknown

All of us make mistakes from time to time in our nursing careers and our lives. We’re only human. It can be a patient care issue or personal issue or work related issue where we slip up. Afterwards, it may feel like we will never recover. But if you push through and learn from the event, you’ll be able to come out a stronger and better nurse, and person, in the long-run.

And Day Brought Back My Night

By Geoffrey Brock

It was so simple: you came back to me
And I was happy. Nothing seemed to matter
But that. That you had gone away from me
And lived for days with him—it didn’t matter.

That I had been left to care for our old dog
And house alone—couldn’t have mattered less!
On all this, you and I and our happy dog
Agreed. We slept. The world was worriless.

I woke in the morning, brimming with old joys
Till the fact-checker showed up, late, for work
And started in: Item: it’s years, not days.
Item: you had no dog. Item: she isn’t back,
In fact, she just remarried. And oh yes, item: you
Left her, remember? I did? I did. (I do.)