Catherine Fielding

Butterflies

I work as a physical therapist in a skilled nursing facility with the elderly. The past year was hard on healthcare workers, but it’s been just as difficult for our patients. They are dealing with failing health, emotional pain and isolation. Many are laid at our doorstep by their own family. Frequently patients tell me relatives no longer answer their phone calls. They are viewed as being slow and an inconvenience; a nuisance to a culture that is afraid of facing their own mortality. It’s not an easy work environment. Often I journal my thoughts in my little black notebook or grow things in my garden to escape.