What makes my work day work? – The little things!

The 6 month old baby operated for a congenital cataract who is now swaddled in a make-shift hammock and hung between two beds in our ward.

The 1 year old with regressed Retinopathy of Prematurity who gives me the happiest smile when I gave her a squeaky toy.

The 2 year old operated for squint who now has straight eyes and does a little dance in my cabin and then gives me a flying kiss before leaving.

The 3 year old set of twins, and their varied personalities.

The 4 year old who cheekily tells me that her parents are the ones addicted to their phones, not her.

The 5 year old with squint who’s eating biscuits the day before her surgery whilst bossily roaming the ward. When I ask her what she’s doing, she confidently tells me that she has a surgery tomorrow.

The 6 year old with progressive myopia who promises not to play games on his parents’ cellphone and then sneaks back into my room to ask me if half an hour per day is okay.

The 7 year old kid with a traumatic cataract who smiles mischievously and asks me where I’m from because he knows my Tamil isn’t proper Tamil at all.

The 8 year old whose Cataract I operated on who gives me the tightest hug on his first post-op day.

The 9 year old with a retinal dystrophy who sits outside with his parents waiting for his turn to be seen whilst busily drawing in his sketchpad.

The 10 year old who listens to what I have to say about his eyes and then patiently explains it to his grandfather who has trouble understanding the situation.

It is always the little things that make my day. The big things too, of course. But somehow, the big things can be overwhelming at times.

The little things are the ones that make you laugh your most genuine laugh and smile even when the moment has passed. It is these anecdotes that my colleagues and I share with each other, these little things that make us go “Aww”.

The little things that make our world a better place. The little things that I’ll always hold on to. The little things that sometimes make all the difference.