Imagine

I have been accused of being a dreamer at times so please excuse me if I once again dream. I have these visions. As a nurse I imagine patients who see their doctor and dentist on a regular basis, who interact with their caregivers and develop a plan to keep themselves healthy and then follow out that plan.  Patients who eat right, exercise, don't smoke, don't drink to excess, and who accept responsibility for their own life style choices and don't blame others. As a person of faith I dream of a world where we take care of each other, where love, not greed, is our guiding principle. A world where all people, regardless of their ethnicity, social status, race, color, or creed, are treated with respect.  A world where, if a man owns two coats, he shares one with the person who has none. I have a vision of a Hospital where patients come first, where the staff is given the tools they need to do the job right. Where people are listened to, respected, and their ideas count. I imagine a place where the staff aren't burned out from working short. I want a hospital where people start their careers and stay. Are these pie in the sky goals? I don't think so. They won't happen overnight, but they are possible. I know what it will take to get there. It will take all of us working together, everyone in the trenches, at the bedside, getting together and sharing ideas, sharing strength, coming to a consensus, and acting as one. John Lenon sang: You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one I hope you will join me and the others who dream as I do, we are many, but all are invited to join us.  Do not get discouraged by the naysayers, the people who say things can't get better, they can, but not if we don't take that first step to making it happen.  Believing it can happen is that first step. Imagine!