The Power of One Hour

What's the value of one hour?  I've been thinking about that a lot since I've started volunteering with Hospice.  My first few experiences were not particularly satisfying.  Unfortunately, most people don't enroll in hospice until the last week of their lives.  By the time the case has been evaluated and the needs identified, it is often too late for a volunteer to help.  Families receive the medical care and support they need for those last few days, but, I think, there are many more things a hospice organization can provide.  So, my first few hospice patients died before I could even see them.  Maybe the coordinator was feeling bad for me, it can be discouraging to go through the training and be eager to go out and "do good" and find that nobody needs you!  Maybe she felt I had some patience or tolerance that other volunteers might lack.  Maybe I was just the next up on the list. 

For whatever reason, I was given the assignment of  visiting an individual in a group home.  He is blind and non-verbal.  I sit with him and gently stroke his head and hand for an hour, once a week. Is it worth it?  I found myself wondering that the other day.  Does an hour of attention a week make any difference?  But, then I reframed the question and thought of all of the "one hours" I experience in a week and how valuable they feel to me.  For example, about once a week I have lunch with two friends.  We go out for a slice of pizza, take a short walk if the weather is nice, and are back in our offices within 60 minutes.  I enjoy our time together, look forward to those days.  Once a week I have lunch with an old colleague who has dementia.  We make sandwiches, eat, chat, and take a walk or play cards.  He certainly seems to look forward to those 90 minute visits.  Seeing my counselor every few weeks for 50 minutes is some of my best spent time.  Sitting down to watch "House" with my son on Monday nights is a time I anticipate with pleasure.  My Thursday morning hour with a personal trainer feels worthwhile.  Why should my one hour of attention mean anything less?

If we think about all the things we do in a week that take one hour, that hour seems like a much more powerful unit of time.  So much can happen in 60 minutes.