It’s 4:04 in the afternoon at Angels Care Center in Cannon Falls. After greeting wrinkled, half-asleep faces down the hallway, I make it to my final destination of the night: the 300 wing. As soon as I press a tiny black button and enter the locked memory care unit, G - a toothless, enthusiastic woman - comes rifling down the narrow hallway. Head down in her hot wheels, she races towards me gripping a curious transparent bag. It doesn’t take long for me to realize it is a garbage bag on account of the trail of wet paper towels and half empty yogurt containers G has left me. I take a deep breath and greet her beaming grin with a forgiving smile. Innocent mischief is unavoidable in the three hundred wing and, strangely, I’ve learned a tremendous amount from these seemingly insignificant instances.

As G accompanies me on my scavenger hunt down the hall, clapping like she is cheering me on, I reminisce. On our way to select a fashionable pair of gloves for me to wear, we pass R’s former room on the left, and I recall when he still resided in the unit. I was nervous meeting the tiny Latino man because I had heard stories he was uncontrollable and fierce. But to my surprise, when I did meet him, he was just sitting at the table playing a game of Dominoes in the most relaxed manner. One game of Mexican Dominoes with him, and I had discovered that this man was anything but menacing. If the accusations about R were proven false, then how could I believe any others that I heard? Later, perhaps that week, I was sitting in class when a girl in yoga pants - that have never been to yoga - was attempting to “keep me up with the gossip.” She didn’t catch on to my disinterest and asked what I thought about it all. I told her the only way to know the truth about all the people she evaluated was to go ask them.

I guess G lost interest in my sterilization of the hallway and wandered into M’s room. While having a tug of war to remove G, I gazed over at M sleeping soundly in her bed. M has a daughter who frequently reminds me of every single thing she hates about Angels Care Center. So, I listen to her critical views and try to figure out where she is coming from so I can attempt to assist. That skill was extremely useful when my mom was struggling with her body image and I persuaded her to purchase a gym membership. She jumped right into a healthier lifestyle with me, which strengthened our relationship and revived her happiness.

It’s 4:16 and the hallway looks as fresh as the fully stocked linen closet. G has found her way into S’s room, forgetting that her presence is frowned upon by the short-tempered man. I snatch her out of there before the soft-toned yelling could erupt, and look into her faded blue eyes full of life. She laughs either with or at me - it’s hard to tell - and I realize that I want to live like G: spirited and adventurous. Everyone has their own idea of success, but mine consists of having a career I’m passionate about, traveling frequently and maintaining relationships with my family while forming new friendships. I want to use the skills I’ve obtained from working at Angels Care Center to reach my goals and impact the lives of other people.