Parkin's Parables - The Nurse and the Dancer

Short stories from my life that have helped me. I hope they help you too!

Since the release of my self-help memoir in 2023, a number of people have asked: what is next?

These stories are the initial outcome to that question. Perhaps one day they will end up as an appendices in an updated version of Yourself or Someone Like You.

In the meantime...enjoy!

The Nurse and the Dancer [on living your life]

Many years ago, on the encouragement and influence of her friends and family, Emma’s career was to become a nurse. She aligned herself to the goals and ideas of other people.

But at what cost?

Her commute into the city was hours a day, working in an office with no natural light as a compounding pharmacy technician for cancer drugs. During winter, this meant hardly seeing the sun at all, save for the half hour lunch break, and in Melbourne the sun doesn’t regularly shine at that time anyway.

Internally, she was miserable, merely existing as opposed to thriving. Her natural effervescence only coming out in brief periods or when doing the rounds in the hospital.

During a particularly challenging winter, Emma was completing her rounds and upon entering the ward with severely ill patients, became aware that a young man about the same age as her had passed away overnight. She was distracted, emotional and sad.

As she left the ward, she literally bumped into an older gentleman who was also a patient in the same ward.

“I’m so sorry!” she said apologetically, “Are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“I’m fine” came the response with a beaming smile. “Can you just dance with me?”

As emotional as she was, they danced together in the ward, smiling as they performed the waltz to the imaginary music in their minds.

It was uplifting…it was euphoric…it was graceful. They were the only two people in the world at that moment. Both left in better moods.

The following morning Emma went to the same ward, to complete the same rounds. However, the old man was gone.

He had passed away overnight.

Emma had shared his last dance with him.

She decided to quit that week, applying to be a flight attendant at the two major Airlines in Australia, and has been one for the past 17 years.

What will it take for you to follow your true aspirations?