One of the most rewarding things about being a self-employed carer is the ability to create spontaneous moments of joy that might never happen otherwise.
One such moment happened with a lovely 94-year-old gentleman I was looking after. He had a wicked sense of humour, but like many of my clients, his days had grown predictable and a little quiet.
One morning, as I was helping him tidy up the kitchen, he noticed some stale bread sitting on the counter. "We’d better throw that out," he said with a shrug, but I had a different idea.
"How about we take it to the park and feed the ducks instead?" I suggested.
He chuckled and said, "I’ve never fed the ducks before!" And that’s when it hit me—here was a man who had lived nearly a century, seen and done so much, but had never had the simple pleasure of tossing crumbs to the ducks. I knew we had to change that.
Because I’m self-employed, I had the flexibility to make it happen right then and there. No rigid schedule, no rushing off to the next appointment—I could give this moment the time it deserved. So off we went, bread in hand, down to the local park.
When we got to the pond, the ducks waddled over like they had been expecting us all day. As soon as he tossed the first bit of bread into the water, his eyes lit up. He grinned like a kid, laughing at how quickly the ducks gobbled up the pieces. “Look at them go!” he said, tossing more with a real sense of delight.
It was such a simple thing, yet it felt profound. Here was this man, 94 years young, experiencing something new for the very first time. He kept saying, “I can’t believe I’ve never done this before!” And it reminded me that no matter how old we get, there’s always room for a first.
That’s what being a self-employed carer is all about—being able to create those spontaneous, joy-filled moments. It’s not just about meeting basic needs; it’s about enriching lives, one small adventure at a time. I didn’t have to rush him back home to stick to a schedule. We stayed at that pond as long as he wanted, laughing at the ducks and soaking in the fresh air.
Being a carer isn’t just a job; it’s about creating experiences and memories that matter. And when you’re self-employed, you have the freedom to make these moments possible, without the ticking clock of a company telling you when to move on.
So, if you’ve ever thought about becoming a self-employed carer, just remember—you’re never too old (or too young!) to start something new, whether it’s feeding ducks at 94 or launching a career that brings real joy into people’s lives.
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