This semester I had a patient who I was told was slightly irritated and difficult to deal with. When I walked into his room, I pretended that I never heard that because I wanted to give him a fair shot to turn his day around. At first, he was slightly standoffish to me however I introduced myself, asked him how he was doing, and explained why I was here. I asked if he minded if I asked him a couple of questions, he said that he would be glad to talk to me. Once I was finished with the assessment piece, he started asking me about who I was and what I do at school. I obviously kept it professional, but I told him that I play hockey at school and that I have a year and a half left before I graduate. Then he started to open up to me about his grandson who plays hockey up here in Maine. His face lit right up when he started to talk about him. I asked him some questions like where his grandson played and how old he is. Somehow, we got on the topic of trains and he started telling me about how he used to drive the big cargo trains around New England, he told me how he grew up on a farm, and then raised his kids on a farm. It was really nice to see how just a listening ear and a calm presence could turn somebody’s day around. Once I thanked him for sharing his story with me, he thanked me. He said you really turned my day around; I was getting so frustrated with being cooped up in here all the time. I told him that I completely understood and cannot imagine how hard that must be. He told me his daughter was going to come by later during visiting hours and he wanted me to meet her. I told him that I wouldn’t be here for that, but you can tell her all about our conversation and that I said hi. It really goes to show what listening will do for your patients.