The End

To commemorate the hardest job I have ever had (and also probably the one I have loved the most), I am going to share the (appropriate) quotes from residents I have heard over the summer:

"You're a 20 year old girl bathing a 75 year old man?!"
"You're too pretty to be crazy...you're the one all the boys have been talking about."
"I wouldn't kick you out of bed for eating crackers."
"Darling...I had a dream about you, a daydream. We had an encounter."
"Your eyes are hypnotizing."
"You will marry me when I get out of here."
"Please don't throw away my dog."
"Excuse me, my wife is insane."
"I feel like I just had a horse."
"There's some wind blowing through the windy city!"

names I have been called:

Stephanie
Daphne
Rosalie
Becky
Bethemphetamine
Beckany
Ecstasy Eyes
Kid
The Mood Changer
Sweet Angel
Cyndy
Mallorie
The Mormon
Sunshine
Hey, You!
Nurse
Nurse Aid
Darling
Love
Friend
Babe

Things I have learned:

Sometimes, it is easier to dispose of linens than it is to wash them....
If you can't get a patient to open their mouth, ask them to say "cow"
It's okay to ask for help
I can do more than I knew I could
Singing helps calm scared people down, even when they're 80 years old
Don't try to transfer a 300+ pound person by yourself
I am in control of myself. (The other aides told me my first week that I would gain a potty mouth while working there. Never did)
I can be brave
I can do hard things
You love those whom you serve.