A Social Workers Observations

Working as a hospital social worker, you see many things, not the least of which is incredible sadness. I think there are people, long gone, who will stay with me forever. People who have made lasting impressions with their struggles, their bravery, their support network or lack of it…….so many things. I feel very honoured to have known them and have learned something from every person who has crossed my professional path. I think in my early years as a social worker, I was overwhelmed by the concept of sickness. I used to travel on the bus back and forth to work and wonder, who was sick sitting beside me, who had a miserable family life, a fractured relationship, a life threatening situation that they were yet not aware of. I had to step away from the work, to understand that everyone has their burden, their albatross, but how we deal with it is what has the potential to make or break us. If we allow it to define us, it becomes something that holds us back, and in many cases, drags us down. The trick is learning to live with and accept the things in our life that we cannot change, and making a decision to overcome what we can.  There is no shame in not succeeding, no regret in trying and failing – the shame and regret only come when you don’t even try.