Here are my big three: Nurses, librarians, and teachers. If you go into one of these fields, you gain 50 Chuck points and that’s just when you start school. I admire these professions, and particularly the people in them, as much or more than any other occupation.

And that feels a little weird, no? It’s a job. People are different. And sure, there are plenty of bad nurses, teachers, etc. (I put etc. in because bad librarians are hard to find, but I’m sure they exist).

I appreciate all sorts of people and jobs. Plumbers, for example. But there’s just something about these people. Like others in the helping professions, they make a career out of serving, and not your burger and fries. Who doesn’t have a teacher that made all the difference? Who hasn’t been comforted and encouraged by a nurse? Who hasn’t asked a librarian a question, because librarians know everything?

So, yeah. My friends in these professions carry extra grace and get into heaven right away, I’m pretty sure.

I won’t get into speculation about careers I might have enjoyed had I not been stupid when I was a young man. But I do love to watch these people work, and see pleasure when they do it.

I’m only mentioning it because I’m in nurse role lately, at least for the time being. I dole out medications. I slip on gloves and deliver drops into his eye, loading him up with pain medication about 30 minutes prior (which they kept forgetting to do at the facility, he says), since one of them is incredibly painful.

I’m just a proxy, and all of will change rapidly, but for the time being I don’t really mind. I don’t know how to do all I need to do next week if I’m going to be spending hours waiting for him to finish chemotherapy, but we’ll get on the transportation issue ASAP. It’s OK. I can read and wait. Just not for 10 weeks, probably.

It’s a hassle and traumatic, and it’s going to get worse before we see any sign of better, but for the time being I’m pretty sure I’ve learned my lesson. The key to my happiness, or at least the key to feeling better, is to feel useful. See? I was right.

I got the Lent I needed.