This weekend I started volunteering at Laguna Honda Hospital. Laguna Honda provides nursing care to adult residents of San Francisco who are disabled or chronically ill. They are in the process of building a new hospital campus but for the time being the patients live in open wards in a huge old building. When many of the homeless people in the city become too ill to care for themselves, Laguna Honda becomes their home.

I was assigned one patient I will visit with on an ongoing basis. Just walking through the halls on the way to meet her was an adventure outside my comfort zone. Patients in wheel chairs lined the halls and I smiled at them as I walked by. Inside I was nervous about meeting my patient. I hoped we would have a good connection and that I would know what to say and do.

My hopes became a reality. She is from Somoa where most of her family live and has been at Laguna Honda since February. She had a curtain pulled tightly around her bed and small living space. I pulled up a chair while she sat on the bed. She talked and I listened. She told me about the colorful history of Somoa. She told me how she followed her heart to become a teacher. Her eyes danced and sparkled as she spoke and my heart couldn't help but open.

When our time was up and I told her I had to go, she couldn't believe she had talked the whole time. She asked me to please tell her something about me before I left. So I told her all about the skipping movement and left her with one of my SKIP ON! postcards. I reminded her that even when we can't physically skip, it is always possible to skip in our hearts.

I left Laguna Honda skipping on air. Just a couple of hours there really puts things in perspective. I have no doubt my visit uplifted my new friend's spirit and it most certainly did the same for mine! I love being a do gooder! Nothing feeds my spirit more than feeling like I am making a difference for someone else. Onward and upward!