One of the occupational hazards of being a writer, such as I am, is being asked to write for other people. When this happens, one must figure out the terms that one is writing for and what exactly the other person wants to be written. Is one engaging in the sort of writing that I prefer, which is where I write as myself from my own perspective, including information gathered from others, or is it ghostwriting where someone else claims credit for an idea that they had but which was actually written by yours truly. The first is clearly my own personal preference, and that situation came up today, courtesy of my dear Persian friend who happens to be a Scottish nurse herself who wanted me to write something on her behalf in praise of another Scottish nurse.

Social media can be a negative place, and my dear friend reported to me that this particular nurse, who had been a coworker of hers in many shifts when she was just starting out, before she had taken and passed her OSCE exam and then (somehow) been switched to daytime shifts in the roto, was bothered and saddened by someone having written negatively about her in a blog. It was my friend’s hope to cheer up her coworker by having me write of the positive influence and good deeds that this experienced Scottish nurse, who had more than 40 years of experience as a nurse, had done for her. And so, it is time for an encomium to a generous-hearted Scottish nurse who took an immigrant nurse under her wing and helped her out as she was beginning her career as a nurse for the elderly in a new land, and who fondly wanted a creche (what we Americans would likely consider to be a small trailer) to study in at work, which seems like a small reward for her efforts, I would think.

When pressed for details about the generosity of this coworker, I was informed that this experienced Scottish nurse had, over the course of the three months where they worked together often on the night shift at their care home, given my dear friend her own (spare, I hope) uniform so that she could dress properly, having not been given a uniform by the care home when she started. The Scottish nurse had also shared a great deal of knowledge over the course of months working together, and I know from personal experience that my dear friend is very appreciative of those who share knowledge with her and help teacher matters of interest and importance. The nurse had driven her (probably when no buses were available), despite the expense of doing so, and also invited my dear friend twice to dinner. Tonight, of course, at the shift change, the nurse had given my friend a jacket.

This is the sort of generosity and kindness that ought to be written about far more often. It is all too easy for us to write about negative things and to be critical of others. That is, of course, the spirit of the times. In such times as we live in, it is well worth remembering that there are simple and yet profound acts of kindness and generosity that go on under our noses. Given the effort that it takes to write anything and post it online, perhaps we would all do better to ponder what sort of praise we can give, what sort of kindness shown to us we can immortalize as best as we are able, to communicate to the world that even in times like our own, we can speak with praise and not merely with criticism and blame. So, to the Scottish nurse who has helped my dear friend, here is your encomium. May you be blessed for the good you have shown to my friend, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday coming up soon as well.