To that old man that made me laugh.

For my many friends and readers on facebook *cough * Kate *cough* they may have noticed that I’ve put up several posts about an old man doing many funny things at the hospital. So I've decided to write a bit about him hoping that he can at the very least give others a smirk or two.
On a Monday, everyone’s favorite day to work, I received a stick to go do on the 12th floor and so I trudge up the stairs….okay just down the hall to the elevator because my ass is too lazy to walk up 9 flights. After dragging my feet down another hall after the elevator I walk in to see a nice old man lying in bed with his hand in his wife’s, who was sitting in the chair next to his bed. I instantly noticed that even though he obviously wasn’t well he had that goofy little smirk we all carry when we are ridiculously in love. So during the process of sticking him I made chit chat and asked how long they had been together, he instantly said, “seems like forever” and she laid a nice little punch into his wrinkly old shoulder. Then she answered me and said they had been together since high school, but had been married for 67 years. I was instantly shocked id never seen people married that long still act like that. So I finished up my duties and wished them a nice evening and made my way out of the room, at that point I had taken notice that my mood had improved immensely.
So, over the next week and a half I made sure to grab every stick for that gentleman I could because I had grown to like him quite a bit in that short a time….though he never seemed to remember me. I had actually questioned that, once again taking my cynical views thinking that perhaps he was just so happy because he was senile. Quite the contrary I found one day on one of my visits when the doctor declared to him that he had one of the best memories and minds he had seen for a man of his age. So once again this old man had restored my faith that perhaps there are happy old couples out there. I also started to gain hope that people can remain juvenile and fun until the later hours of their lives because of this man.
This being do to the fact that one day while boarding the elevator he and his wife had gotten on, where he informed me that his nurse had given him the okay to go down to the café to get a cup of coffee with his wife. I was only going down two floors so when the doors opened for me I stepped out and turned to wave bye just in time to see the old man hit every button on the elevator for the way down then shuffle off the elevator and laugh as his wife sighed and watched the doors close. He promptly hit the down button for another elevator. I just walked off laughing but with another day of an amazing attitude.
Finally on that Friday I had to go up to the 12th floor for another person but thought id stop by just to say hello, but he and his wife were not there and the room was clean. So when I walked by a nurse I had asked when they went home, because I was glad he did, but she informed me that he had passed away the night before. I was instantly saddened because that was a loss of a good man, a fun loving man, and most importantly of all a loving man. But, duty called so I went and drew my patient’s blood but as I was charging his blood I overheard the nurses talking about my dearly departed friend and I realized that even though he was gone he could still make me smile. The nurses had been talking about how they had caught him flashing his wife one day and her just rolling her eyes and smiling. So even though I mourned his loss I realized by laughing I was celebrating his life, so I just let the laughs roll.
I wrote this in memoriam to this old man because we can all only hope and strive to be as good and worthy of praise as this man was. I hope that when I am his age…or even tomorrow to be as silly and loving, jovial and caring, hilarious and affectionate as that man. Rest in peace old man.