I had an appointment at Stanford’s outpatient ostomy unit yesterday, and you know what I showed up with in my knitting bag, hoping again to get to see some more of my old nurses. And I did.
The whole time I was knitting Amanda’s Huarache yarn I kept thinking how good it would look on A. And now it does. Cool.
Two other nurses chose their favorites, and the bright green still waits for P; they told me she’ll be in next week.
But what most delighted them was simply getting to see me walking in there and looking well. It was fun watching the doubletakes, followed by the hugs in intense delight. Seeing me well validates what their work is all about. Seeing me coming back to show them I am well now validates who they personally are and how they go about their day as they do what they do. They care. It shows. In return, their patients really do care about them too.
So I’ve been picturing them wearing their scarves the rest of their shifts yesterday. Maybe someone asked them where those suddenly came from in the middle of the day. Maybe another patient decided that they might come back later to say thank you too, seeing how happy it was making their nurse.
Maybe. I don’t know. But, knitting as love made just a little more visible: I can hope.