These essays will evoke different reactions from different
readers. "Well, I know that," for example, may be the reaction of a
beginner in nursing; "I wouldn't have said it that way but I knew that
is really nursing." "Since they've given us a methodology," perhaps from
one more experienced in nursing; "I'll give it a try." Others with still
more or different kinds of experience may respond, "It's about time
nurses put that into words; it's about time."
Timely as these essays are I would prefer not to use up the foreword
with a listing of the crises, the "eco-spasms," and scientific triumphs
that would document their timeliness. It is my pleasure, rather, to use
this opportunity to relate the six elements of my own reaction:
Nursing has a solitariness until we find it has many companions in
philosophy, science, and art. It has a steadiness about its pace yet
holds a potential for flights to higher elevations. It is constantly
changing yet has an enduring component of permanence. Good is the word
we use every day; our vision, however, is of excellence. Its tasks
often have the appearance of homeliness until we glimpse that kind of
beauty that is humanness. Nursing even sings very softly because our
ears are attuned to "a different drummer."