She let out a sigh so deep I could practically see her shoulders slump, despite the wall separating our desks.
It was hardly the first time she had made such a sound. Working in an office such as ours – not to mention social work, in general – tends to have that effect on its employees. We take on the mental and emotional burdens of our patients, helping them to sort through the various circumstance they face each day. Even in the best of moments, when we are able to collaborate with our patients and other providers to carry those loads, the additional weight still empties our stores relatively quickly.
There was a slightly different tone to this sigh, though. She hadn’t gotten a call about a child being hospitalized or a parent unhappy with her family’s treatment. The phone lay still on her desk and the notifications of new emails remained silent. Her resigned exhale had nothing to do with work, in fact.
She had just heard me tell one of my jokes. Continue reading “Eye Rolls, Curses and Puns (Oh My!)”
