Marie is back

An aide I will call Marie came back to work today, and she will be working every other weekend. We had heard a while back that she was returning. Marie had been let go back in February for being a "no call/no-show" on a weekend. We were all disappointed when she did that. We knew there was an explanation why she was not here. I thought that she probably had been out the night before, drank too much, and was not able to come to work. But, when you have a job you can't really not show up and expect to keep it.

Marie had been getting over a rough breakup.. Even though I thought she was better off without that boyfriend, she was miserable. That contributed to her losing her job.

She came in to do my morning washup this morning. I have learned over the years not to get too excited by much of anything. Things change quickly and people change their minds so often, it's hard to keep up. I don't really like my emotions to be on a roller coaster. So, when Marie left I messaged her on Facebook for a while, and then stopped. I had to put my Marie memories in the velvet lined wooden box I keep in my brain. That's the safe place, far enough away, so they cannot make me sad.

It was the same old Marie. She has a nice, calm, vibe. She hasn't worked here for a while so she is rested and not mentally drained. She's even gained a little weight and is feeling a bit better about herself.

Things were quieter in the dining room. Marie has a short attention span and she flits. But I managed to reel her back in when I or someone else needed her. She was attentive to everyone. Many of the residents were very glad to see her. Many remember the happy times they experienced with her.

I kidded this afternoon that it must be nice to have a fan club. I told her she can feel good about how the residents reacted to her return. Marie also realizes that she has to rehabilitate her image with her coworkers.

But, her return shows that all of us can contribute. Even the young millennials who like to have fun, and because of that, sometimes put their jobs in jeopardy.

Welcome back Marie!