Hmm...
"I'm sorry"?? No, I'm not really, sorry... I'm glad I could help you through this time of distress.
"It's a pleasure"?? No, not really. But I do it anyway.
"This is the worst part of my job."?? No, it's not. It's one of the most positive contributions we can make. An injection which is a permanent cure for everything! Medicine specialists eat your heart out.
"You're doing the right thing." Sometimes you aren't, but it's worth saying anyway. Maybe it should be "you aren't doing anything wrong." But I'm sure it's no consolation.
"It's the last nice thing you can do for them." Poor consolation I know, when the guilt eats away at you in the middle of the night.
"Try to remember the good times, not the bad." And I feel like some goddamn Hallmark card.
"They're in a better place" would be a whole lot easier if I were religious.
"I understand how you feel." And at the same time I will never understand how you feel.
My mouth opens and closes, nothing comes out. The wall of professionalism stands between us and I can't break through. As I look into your eyes with the syringe in my hand, I find myself thinking all these phrases, weighing each one and then thinking, quite selfishly,
"Start crying, damn it. It's always easier when you cry."
"I'm sorry"?? No, I'm not really, sorry... I'm glad I could help you through this time of distress.
"It's a pleasure"?? No, not really. But I do it anyway.
"This is the worst part of my job."?? No, it's not. It's one of the most positive contributions we can make. An injection which is a permanent cure for everything! Medicine specialists eat your heart out.
"You're doing the right thing." Sometimes you aren't, but it's worth saying anyway. Maybe it should be "you aren't doing anything wrong." But I'm sure it's no consolation.
"It's the last nice thing you can do for them." Poor consolation I know, when the guilt eats away at you in the middle of the night.
"Try to remember the good times, not the bad." And I feel like some goddamn Hallmark card.
"They're in a better place" would be a whole lot easier if I were religious.
"I understand how you feel." And at the same time I will never understand how you feel.
My mouth opens and closes, nothing comes out. The wall of professionalism stands between us and I can't break through. As I look into your eyes with the syringe in my hand, I find myself thinking all these phrases, weighing each one and then thinking, quite selfishly,
"Start crying, damn it. It's always easier when you cry."
I also find it really hard to know what to say.. I like to include the words "peaceful" and "painless"..
ReplyDeleteI always find the ones that are stony faced the most difficult. I never know what to say to them, because it seems like they're holding it all together while they're in there with me, and anything I say is just going to make them fall apart. And they probably don't want to. So I don't say anything.
ReplyDeleteIf in doubt, I just talk to the pet.It's easy and it's compassionate.
ReplyDeleteMind you, I've found the best phrases to close on are either "I'm sorry it had to happen" or "Drive safely."
Sounds like we're all in a bit of a bloodbath. I've personally significantly reduced my towns pet population over this last week.
My favourite final line is:
ReplyDelete"Are you ok? Would you like me to help you to your car?" (especially if they're taking the animal home)