I have a relative in the hospital right now. He’s fighting an infection, the source of which the doctors can’t quite nail down. I just found out today that he has been in the hospital for the past 3 days. He was asleep when we got there, but his wife was there with him. My wife and I sat down on the couch next to the window while his wife sat in the chair next to his hospital bed. She had a hand to her face while she explained to us what he was going through. As a medical professional herself, she knows how to handle tough situations, but she had a look of genuine worry on her face, even though she tried to hide it. Her husband was breathing softly as the anti-nausea medicine worked its way through his system. The decisive moment came when she told us that she had to call 911 because he was too weak to get up and get into the car. She looked over at him with the love that can only come when you have shared your lives together for 26 years. I had my point and shoot camera, in its case, in my hand. I opened the case before the decisive moment. My instincts were shouting at me to raise the camera, but then they fell silent, which I took as a cue to hold. There was plenty of ambient light in the room as well. It was at the decisive moment that I realized why my instincts had fallen silent – the emotions she was feeling at that moment were hers alone. While I was free to empathize and share her worries, I had no right to steal them without her permission. I quickly cleared my mind and re-engaged in the conversation.
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