New People

Yesterday was my shift to volunteer at hospice. I work the front desk. Ostensibly, we're there to be a friendly face for the grieving families who come to visit their loved ones. We do greet people, and we sign them in and out. We also help with new admissions.

The people I work with at the front desk are also volunteers. These folks have been a rotating cast of characters. The first person I worked with was a young student applying to medical school. He was quiet and kind, but he spent most of his shift reading. I ended up bringing my cross stitch and crochet projects to pass the time.

An older woman who taught meditation to seniors joined the crew when the student left. She had a serene personality, and we talked about books, but she ended up leaving for personal reasons.

Now I am with two new people. One young woman is studying to be a physician's assistant. She is so full of energy that she also teaches a power yoga class before the sun even rises. The other woman is a long-retired nurse. She's no nonsense and is still getting out of the get-it-done nursing mode. As volunteers, we can provide companionship to patients, but we can't do any hands-on work. No feeding, dressing, moving, or even fluffing pillows. She says it can be hard to get out of that nursing mode.

I was nervous about meeting these new desk mates, but that was part of the reason I started volunteering. I wanted to push myself to meet new people, to listen to their stories, to understand their motivations for volunteering.

Yesterday, I was on the verge of being overstimulated with all of the newness, but we quickly settled into a pleasant rhythm. As I walked to my car at the end of the shift, I remembered our easy camaraderie. And I remembered why I love meeting new people.