Earlier this year, I was struck by a comment from one of the
residents who walked into my office one day. He remarked, “Your office is so peaceful”, and I was very
pleased that he felt that way. My
office is on the seventh floor, away from the main traffic of the building, so
that could account for some of the peacefulness this resident felt when he walked in. But I would like to think there
was more to it than that, something about the atmosphere that gave him this
sense of peace when he entered the room.
I am quick to admit that I am not always peaceful in my
workplace! There certainly have
been times when I have lost my patience—especially with my computer or copier,
or with some project that has gone awry—and I am thankful that the residents
have not witnessed those moments.
But this man’s comment about my office being peaceful made me think
about the importance of cultivating a sense of peace, and about how that might
be accomplished.
As caregivers, how do we cultivate peace within ourselves so that we can communicate that peace to others? I think we need to consciously remind ourselves, at various
moments throughout our day, that our work is to serve others and to be a
welcoming presence to them. Hopefully,
that will help us to be genuine, to be ourselves, and yet be empathetic to
those whose needs might be quite different from our own. Then those whom we are helping will be
more likely to feel accepted and less likely to feel helpless or defensive when
we assist them in addressing their specific needs. If there is openness and trust there will be a sense of
peace as well, and that is
certainly beneficial both to us as caregivers and to all those who seek our
help. The Dalai Lama has said, "If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another." That is definitely something worth thinking about!
