Surfing the Internet around New Year’s Day, I saw many quotes, both famous and anonymous, giving wishes and advice for the year ahead. I thought of how, with some minor adjustments, they could apply to our lives, where we work and what we do. So, let’s look at these and see how we, too, can have wishes for a wonderful New Year.
The character Harry Burns, speaking in the movie “When Harry Met Sally”
“And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
Nurse Jackie speaking
“And when you realize you have found your life’s mission, you want to spend the rest of your life devoting yourself to it and start as soon as possible.”
Edith Lovejoy Pierce, English poet
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called ‘Opportunity’ and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
Nurse Jackie
“We have an opportunity to make a difference every day. Let us make a resolution to take advantage of this opportunity and make a new start in 2014.”
Sydney Smith, English writer and cleric
“Resolve to make at least one person happy every day, and then in 10 years you may have made 3,650 persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment.”
Nurse Jackie
“In doing this, we have brightened the lives of our residents and employees by our contributions. Almost a small village!”
Anonymous
“Your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you. But your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others.”
Nurse Jackie
“This is the basic tenet of our lives: What we do for others. Our New Year will be blessed!”
John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado
“We’re going to need a lot more Doritos in 2014.”
Nurse Jackie
OK, I made up that one!
Benjamin Franklin, early American statesman and scientist
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.”
Nurse Jackie
“Let us always work to improve ourselves, accept and get along with our coworkers, and we will be better for it!”
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American author
“What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That’s not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that’s the burden of a year.”
Nurse Jackie
“When I think of this, I think not of a passing of a year, but a passing of a lifetime. It gives me greater empathy for the ones we care for. Maybe it will have a deep meaning for you too.”
Aisha Elderwyn, Australian musician
“Every New Year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself.”
Nurse Jackie
“You are wonderful for who you are. Who else has devoted their lives to caring for the frailest of the frail, the most vulnerable? Embrace your life’s devotion, and be true to your calling.”
Edgar A. Guest, prolific American poet
“A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I’ve played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.”
Nurse Jackie
That needs no tweaking. Well said, Mr. Guest!
God bless and Happy New Year!
Just keeping it real,
Nurse Jackie
The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, a 2012 APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real life long-term care nurse who is also the director of clinical affairs for the American Medical Directors Association. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. She has not starred in her own national television series — yet. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.
