Of Human Kindness by Peter Allan

I was lucky to be born optimistic. I was lucky to find Lynda, my muse and life partner in this big wide world. There is so much that Lynda has taught me, but one of the most powerful lessons from her, was reinforcing the power of expressing gratitude. As an optimist I have sometimes glossed over the impact of difficult life lessons. This natural resilience can sometimes mask dark and hurtful places. I was also born with innate curiosity, which is life enhancing in its own right. I think when Lynda and I met we recognized in each other, this quality of abiding curiosity and gratitude.

A few weeks ago I entered a world that with good fortune I have not been part of for decades. It was a world where I was immersed in a symphonic balm of hundreds of acts of human kindness, soft affirmative words, caring inquiries and healing touch, attention and responsiveness, efficiency and intelligence, equanimity and gentle encouragement. This was first experienced at our own dear Lady Minto Hospital emergency department on Salt Spring Island.

Lynda had transported me there in the middle of the night moaning with the deep agony of a kidney stone. Both of us were reminded of our experience almost 19 years ago, roles reversed I was driving her in the middle of the night in heavy labour with our son Jesse, who was born 20 minutes after arriving to the same hospital.

I was met in the dark of night with such whole hearted kindness by Diane, Kohley, Matt, Vince, Dr. Rustad and later Dr. Abbott… truly it was every one on the team. Emergency rooms are not notably private places and so the interactions with patients are overheard. Without exception, I heard this soundtrack of human kindness played out, which evoked deep emotion in myself.

Lynda was a hospital social worker whose experience prompted her to do a Master’s thesis around burnout and the mitigation of burnout in front-line workers. She is an expert in burnout prevention. She is a goddess of teaching the power of self-care. Lynda will tell you that the single most significant metric in job satisfaction is for people to simply be seen and recognized for the good work that they do. There is tremendous power in a sincere acknowledgement and a thank you.

In Cowichan District Hospital over the following three days, one was able to experience the full overwhelm that plays out in our medical system. An overflowing waiting room at Emergency, where hours spent felt like timelapse photography where we were the camera observing the thinning of the crowds as time wore into the night. Fully booked operating rooms getting bumped from surgery and bumped again. But through it all, the prevailing soundscape of human kindness. No obvious signs of burnout from a top notch medical staff working as a team, authentically acknowledging each other, offering support. I observed another well choreographed hospital unit moving with the sole purpose of offering comfort and healing. Nurses Kyla and Jane, doctors Lundeen and Silver and…

Sincere reassuring human touch everywhere, nurses putting a hand on arms and shoulders offering comfort and healing. Lying peacefully on a stretcher immersed in the mindful mayhem that is life every day in the ER, beeps and bells and sirens, intercom static and announcements, carts in motion with every type of medical equipment… Nurse Victoria puts her hand on my hand and asks, “how are you?” I answered that I was absorbing the music of 100 acts of kindness around me. She said, I’m sorry? I repeated my reply and found myself getting teary-eyed. She choked up too and said, “oh my.”

In the course of my life I have always felt that nurses were next to Saints, true Florence Nightingale’s. Of course I would also add to the list: teachers, hospice workers, firefighters and police officers, social workers, mental health professionals, Doula’s and midwives, veterinarians, body workers, yoga instructors, caregivers…

At the Solstice this year Lynda and I will carve out some time to intentionally look back on this remarkable year 2025. We will mark and celebrate successes and achievements, acknowledge highlights and nod briefly to lowlights. Above all, alongside you all, we will count our blessings. Alongside you, we will practice deep gratitude for this gift of our lives.

And oh yes, we will light a candle to the Saintliness of nurses.