"They don't appreciate you, but we do."

The charge nurse told me this last night. "They" meant the nursing center's administration.

"I don't care about them. I only care what you think. And the residents. They seem to be happy, so..." was my answer.

I work for the residents. Granted, I wish I was faster and yet could still make everyone happy. Instead, I settle for doing right by the ones I can touch and hope that later I can make it up to the ones I don't get to quick enough the first time around. When I go into a resident's room and they say, "I'm so glad you're working here tonight," I know I'm doing OK.