Eighty-one year olds are romantic.

If you know me, you know I have an incurable crush on older men. I'm not talking Clooney. I'm talking hunched back, saggy skin and long earlobes older. They have lived. And they are so special to me.

The other night at work I was floated down to the ICU. INSTANT FEAR AND TREMBLING. I stopped being an ICU nurse for a reason and I was nervous my old cronies would want me to take a patient load. No thank you, it's been almost two years and I would likely kill whomever they were wanting me to save. Instead (thank you Jackie!) I was assigned the task of sitting with an 81 year old confused heart surgery patient who had previously tried to give himself a concussion by pulling his IV pole down on his head. I will call him Donny.

Donny was wonderful. In order to keep him from pulling out his PICC line, I asked him if I could hold his hand. And he had just the sweetest answer. "Well, I had better call your dad and ask for permission." See? Eighty-one year olds have class. I told him I didn't think my dad would mind- nor my husband. (And Josh didn't- he knows he comes first, Russell Crowe second, and all old men third.)
So Donny and I got to hold hands all night long. And sometimes he would grab my hand with both of his, and with shaking hands arms raise my hand to his mouth to kiss the back of my hand. Aww. Precious.

Now, Donny wasn't perfect. At certain points of the night he was screaming for his wife (who wasn't there), twitching like he was getting ready to knock me unconscious, or winging his SpO2 monitor cord around like a lasso. But he was also sweet enough to tell me about his kids and his time in the service and his dear wife who "was quite a looker, in his opinion."

It was an incredibly long night shift- sitting in a darkened room trying ever so hard not to get sleepy. But it was so good. The older people are the one thing I miss from the ICU. Their stories. Their wisdom. Their perspectives. They have lived life and learned lessons. They've experienced pain and heartache. And they've loved. And they are living in a time when the number of people they love are growing fewer and fewer. I can't imagine watching friends die. And having to say goodbye to a spouse of fifty years. But I have watched older people deal with life tragedy with class. And I want to learn from them. I want to reap from the harvest of their wisdom. I want to hear their stories- learn history from their perspective. I want to be a friend to them.

They need friends, you know. My heart cries for people shoved into nursing homes and forgotten by family. And that's why one day I'm going to take my kiddos to nursing homes. And let my babies begin to learn a life lesson. Older people are treasures that won't always be around. Make sure you are not missing out.

I am going to go call my Grandma.

*Disclaimer: Not all older people are wonderful and a joy to be around. In fact, some are quite perverted and should not be granted the opportunity to hold and kiss your hand. :)