exposure

Opelousas, Louisiana: Heartbreaking Scene of Man and Dogs in Pouring Rain

I saw a disturbing site yesterday that still preys on my mind. In Opelousas, Louisiana we saw a man holding a panhandling sign in the pouring rain. I held no animosity toward him, since he likely suffers from addiction or mental health issues. I was disturbed that he held a drenched dog on a leash at his side. He hadn’t provided the dog a box or blanket for shelter. A few yards away next to a highway marker, a woman restrained three other drenched dogs, none covered or sheltered.

A large live oak that would have well-sheltered them all stood a couple of hundred yards away. A large shopping center with multiple covered areas stood directly across the busy highway. I was bothered for the poor people standing in the rain but can’t get those dogs out of my mind. The people were restrained by their minds but the dogs by people with leashes.

My heart was aching but I didn’t know what to do.

Nurse’s Nightmare

Even though I’m long retired I am long retired, I still torment myself with the occasional work anxiety dream. Last night, I treated myself to another.

I found myself back in my unit, desperate over the late start. Once there, instead of the highly trained, caring, and professional staff I expected, I was met by a madhouse of crazed clowns led by Nurse Ratched and the psychotic nurse Annie Wilkes, from the movie, Misery. Patients were lying on the floor, falling out of bed, and dumped into trash cans, arms and legs askew. The macabre nurses blocked me at every turn as I struggled to rescue patients. The unit was littered with feces, blood, and filthy dressings strewn on the floor, a nurse’s worst nightmare.

If that weren’t enough, just as the madness peaked, the CEO of nurses marched in, leading a group from Joint commission of American Hospitals, an unannounced visit to rate our services. I’ve never met any hospital staff who don’t dread this. When I saw their stern faces, I realized I’d forgotten to renew my nursing license. The CEO gestured to an officer. “Book’er Danno”

I was so glad to wake up.