Glimmers, or: How I Learned to Stop Crying in the Supply Closet and Laugh at the Jell-O
By about hour ten of a twelve-hour shift, I begin to hallucinate—usually not patients, but versions of myself who made better life choices. One is well-rested. Another owns compression socks that match. One smiles like she hasn’t been personally insulted by a Pyxis.
That’s when I remind myself: I’m just triggered.
Not like “I’m about to flip a table,” although… yes.
But clinically: my nervous system is fully activated. Danger, danger, Will Robinson! We are not okay.
But then it happens. A glimmer.
A patient’s toddler waves at me like I’m a Disney princess. Someone leaves a Post-it on the med cart: “Hang in there. Also, I stole your Sharpie. Sorry.” A coworker tells a joke so bad I have to pretend to cough just to cover my laughter-snort.
And for one brief, shining moment, my body uncoils. The world is still a mess—but I remember I’m human. Not just a barcode-scanning, charting, shift-swapping automaton.
They call these moments glimmers—the emotional opposite of triggers. Tiny flickers of joy or calm or absurdity that remind your nervous system, “We’re safe. You can unclench now.”
I used to think you had to earn joy. Survive the trauma, then you get the peace. But it turns out, joy can elbow its way in right between IV pushes and printer jams.
If you’re a nurse, you probably already know this. You’ve lived it. You’ve grinned at the ridiculous. You’ve giggled when you should’ve cried. You’ve found sanity in stale graham crackers and gratitude in silence.
This week, I’ve been collecting glimmers like Pokémon. They’re free, after all. And unlike Pokémon, they don’t require data plans or explanation to hospital security.
So what’s your glimmer? The tiny, ridiculous, life-affirming moment that made your day almost not terrible?
Reply here. Or just whisper it into the void. Either way, I’ll be here, grinning at the absurd and remembering that even on our hardest days, we’re still allowed to feel good things.
Even if it’s just over banana pudding.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨
🧠 Top 5 Glimmers of the Week (Because sanity deserves a spotlight):
“I found a French fry in my bra. No idea how it got there. Ate it anyway. 10/10.” — Sam R., night shift
“The resident asked me a question. Then actually listened to the answer. I almost coded from shock.” — Tanya, PICU
“Caught my coworker giving the crash cart a pep talk. ‘Don’t you dare crap out on me today.’” — Anonymous, Med-Surg
“A patient said, ‘Thank you for keeping me alive... again.’ And meant it.” — Val, ICU
“I laughed so hard I set off my own FitBit stress alert. Worth it.” — Nurse C, ER
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨
Want to be featured in next week’s roundup?
Reply to this email, comment below, or fill out the Glimmer Submission Form and you might see your joy sparkle in next week’s post! (it can be heartwarming, hilarious, or just plain weird—in fact, bonus points for weird).