Are pure-hearted people more needy?

Years ago, I did a ten month internship, in a sheltered workshop for developmentally disabled adults. I was fairly new to the profession and a lot younger. Perhaps this is why I so I arrogantly assumed I already knew what I might contribute. Ten months later, I left, having been profoundly changed with regard to my sense of human nature.

Never have I been surrounded by so many pure-hearted people.

Needy? Oh my God, yes. But to be honest, it did not matter. When I’d leave at the end of a day, I felt strange, like I was returning to a social jungle. In particular, one man, Michael, who had a severe case of Down’s syndrome, would hug me every time we passed in the hall. And while my supervisor advised me against this, clearly, she just didn’t understand, let alone recognize it for what it was; loving kindness.

I’m 70 and still see people 14 hours straight, three days a week. In each hour, I try to in some small way do what they taught me. Does this make me needy? I guess it does; I so need to make a difference in people’s lives. But I love my life and what I do and I often think, I’ll probably die in my therapist’s seat. With a smile on my face.