Are nurses with disabilities the spirit line of the art of nursing?

     Harry Walters, a contributor to the book Woven

by the Grandmothers: Nineteenth- Century

Navajo Textiles from the National Museum of the

American Indian states, “To make something that

is perfect means there is no more room for

improvement. . . . If a weaver weaves a perfect

rug, she makes a little mistake on purpose—an

imperfection. Often we see a little line, which the

Navajo call a spirit line that extends to the edge of

a rug through the border. This line is added by

the weaver so the rug will not be perfect.” This

wonderful attitude toward human acts of creation,

so antithetical to typical Western notions, is not

only characteristic of, but crucial to, the way

Native people think about what we call “art.”

Let’s reflect on the “art” of nursing and nurses

with disabilities in particular. Consider these

questions….

Are nurses with disabilities the "spirit line" of the

art of nursing? Is disability an opportunity for

improvement in ourselves and others? Are

imperfections part of the art of nursing? Are we

all part of the fabric of our profession—including

our strengths and weaknesses, gifts and

imperfections?

 Do the "spirit lines" of nursing make us stronger

and more beautiful?

Love to read your thoughts,

Donna

Walters, H. (1996) In E. Bondar,  Woven by the Grandmothers: Nineteenth- Century Navajo Textiles from the National Museum of the American Indian. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.