Unless you are not on any form of social media or haven’t watched the news, you probably are aware that the movie, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” just won a bunch of Oscars, including best picture.
The official film synopsis is this: When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. But the central message of the film is one of kindness.
However, to me, I grasped something deeper. You see, Evelyn, the main character, is a mother, wife, caretaker of her father and owner of the laundromat she and her family lives above.
But Evelyn is also a dreamer. She dreams about being a singer, an accomplished film star, a martial arts expert, and more, evidenced by all of the things she tries to write off on her taxes we witness in the movie. Hence, all the “lives” she channels in the multiverse.
We see early on that Evelyn is not a happy woman, she seems bitter and angry and dissatisfied even with her family.
By the end of the movie, she comes to realize that she is exactly where she should be, living her best life. Once she realizes this, she embraces kindness, embraces her family, finds joy in her life and realizes her life has meaning.
My question is this. Do we ever get like Evelyn? Thinking we were meant for something other than a life of service to senior care (and our personal lives, of course)? If so, think about the light you are in the lives of your residents and staff.
So be kind, not only to others but to yourself. You’re exactly where you are supposed to be, living your best life.
Just keeping it Real,
Nurse Jackie
The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, Senior Director of Clinical Innovation and Education for Mission Health Communities, LLC and an APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real-life long-term care nurse. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.
The opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News guest submissions are the author’s and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News or its editors.
