Wednesday Wisdom: The 14 Clicks

Inspiration, Wednesday Wisdom, and Christmas Message for Women, Female Entrepreneurs, Everyone

The blue counter in my vest pocket started at 000 and ended at 014 three hours later. Every click on the counter meant helping someone in the hospital during my volunteer shift. I clicked the gadget every time I was done with one person or task. At the end of my shift, I tallied and recorded the clicks on a sheet for the supervisor.

14 clicks might not seem like a lot until you consider who or what the 14 clicks truly represented. Let me share some of them with you.

My first click was helping an elderly blind woman, with no family with her, from the doctor’s office to the pharmacy for a Covid shot. Our conversation wasn’t political or judgmental about whether a shot was needed it was just about its importance.  She told me she encouraged her children and grandchildren to get protected too because she worried about them. When she was done, I wheeled her out to the cab and complimented her on her shiny pink hat. She proudly told me it was from her son. She beamed and her blind eyes sparkled like the speckles in her hat.

My second click came when a woman with two young daughters, who was attempting to wheel her mother, asked me if I could take her mother to the lobby so she could get the car and pick her up. Although it should have been a short drive from the parking garage to the front doors, the daughter forgot her purse on the back of the wheelchair and had to repeat her steps with the daughters in tow. Her mother, who didn’t speak English, asked me questions in another language but all I could do was use universal signs of understanding and compassion to communicate with her until her daughter arrived.

Three individual clicks of the day came from transporting blood to a laboratory in another building. As I carefully carried the contents with plastic gloves on, I prayed the lab would find good results for the person who was waiting for the answer. I know what that’s like. I wasn’t carrying five golden rings, as the Christmas Carol says, but the content felt like someone else’s gold.

Three additional clicks came from helping one couple multiple times in the day maneuver in and out of elevators with heavy walkers and not enough hands. The couple sought me out after I helped them the first time. They offered to take me home to help cook and clean but I declined politely telling them I certainly appreciated the offer. We laughed and waved goodbye after they were safe in their car.

The last click was my favorite – a mother and her daughter the age of 3 – skipping down the hallway after their appointments and heading home. The little girl had a dynamic smile with deep dimples. She was the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. All they needed was help in finding the garage where they parked. Click #14 was purely heartwarming. Sometimes we need kids to remind us to be more joyful.

When I remember what each click represented, I surmised them to be – smiles, appreciation, relief, reassurance, and trust. If I had to put these five clicks into the first part of the 12 Days of Christmas song it would go like this

5 Golden Smiles
4 Appreciative Gestures
3 Nods of Trust
2 Sighs of Relief
1 Universal Feeling of Love

My hope is St. Nicholas brings you a counter this year to use in 2024 to click the positive things, people, and lessons you learn, help, or provide to others. I wish you and your loved ones a blessed and joyful Christmas and a wonderful and hopeful New Year.