Song of the day is "Thinking Tune." I just found it on my computer, I got it from a mix cd that one of my college roommates made me and it's from the animated TV show, Arthur.
My sister graduated from her 6 year long physical therapy program last week and since then I've been thinking a lot about furthering my own education. I am now leaning towards going the management & leadership route for my masters... lots and lots to think about.
So, thinking is what I've been doing!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
She's Not Just a Pretty Face
As a nurse, I can be critical of anything that portrays nurses and healthcare.
I think that often nurses are misrepresented in the media and people therefore think that it doesn't take much to become a registered nurse. Granted, there are many different types of nurses, but you don't pass the NCLEX by being an idiot. We don't all hook up with doctors in locked closets like they did on ER, nor do we all go into the profession hoping to marry a doctor. We didn't get into the profession just so that we could work 3 days a week (although that is a great perk!) or so that we could take care of everyone else's family members when some days all we really want to do is take care of ourselves and our own families.
The song of the day is Shania Twain's "She's Not Just a Pretty Face."
Nursing has been a major part of my life for the past 6 years through school and as a working RN for two years. Let me tell you, it is not an easy profession. I wish everyone could spend a day with a nurse and see how much real critical thinking, knowledge, patience, time management, dexterity, logical thinking, continual learning and physical effort goes into the job. I may only work three days/36h a week, but believe you me, it is a mentally/emotionally/physically draining 36 hours.
As I type this I feel like I've maybe written about this before, but I can't find the post about it. I'll spare you the venting session and relate this post back to the song. Often I hear responses from people who are surprised at the amount of school I went through or interact with patients who are surprised at how much I know what I am talking about. People see my scrubs and assume that I am just a minion who does whatever a doctor tells me to do. They couldn't be more wrong.
The song is about looking inside of a person and seeing all that they are - I didn't pick this song to be conceited and say that I'm more than just a pretty face (some days I think I'm pretty and other days I don't, but that's a whole other can of worms). When people see nurses they connect them to the images of nurses they have seen depicted in society and we are so much more than that. That's all I was trying to say with this song choice.
If this is one long rambling post I apologize and am appreciative that you stuck with reading it through the end. It's been an incredibly long past few days at work and a long few weeks before that... I promise I will make my next post more worthwhile to read :-)
I think that often nurses are misrepresented in the media and people therefore think that it doesn't take much to become a registered nurse. Granted, there are many different types of nurses, but you don't pass the NCLEX by being an idiot. We don't all hook up with doctors in locked closets like they did on ER, nor do we all go into the profession hoping to marry a doctor. We didn't get into the profession just so that we could work 3 days a week (although that is a great perk!) or so that we could take care of everyone else's family members when some days all we really want to do is take care of ourselves and our own families.
The song of the day is Shania Twain's "She's Not Just a Pretty Face."
Nursing has been a major part of my life for the past 6 years through school and as a working RN for two years. Let me tell you, it is not an easy profession. I wish everyone could spend a day with a nurse and see how much real critical thinking, knowledge, patience, time management, dexterity, logical thinking, continual learning and physical effort goes into the job. I may only work three days/36h a week, but believe you me, it is a mentally/emotionally/physically draining 36 hours.
As I type this I feel like I've maybe written about this before, but I can't find the post about it. I'll spare you the venting session and relate this post back to the song. Often I hear responses from people who are surprised at the amount of school I went through or interact with patients who are surprised at how much I know what I am talking about. People see my scrubs and assume that I am just a minion who does whatever a doctor tells me to do. They couldn't be more wrong.
The song is about looking inside of a person and seeing all that they are - I didn't pick this song to be conceited and say that I'm more than just a pretty face (some days I think I'm pretty and other days I don't, but that's a whole other can of worms). When people see nurses they connect them to the images of nurses they have seen depicted in society and we are so much more than that. That's all I was trying to say with this song choice.
If this is one long rambling post I apologize and am appreciative that you stuck with reading it through the end. It's been an incredibly long past few days at work and a long few weeks before that... I promise I will make my next post more worthwhile to read :-)
Friday, May 13, 2011
Say What You Need to Say
So a couple of weeks ago I said that I would muster up every ounce of confidence I had. I didn't. I chickened out for two weeks and finally said what I needed to say last night.
I'm not the biggest fan of John Mayer, but his song, "Say What You Need to Say" fits perfectly with how I'm feeling today.
I said what I needed to say and it feels sooooooooo good to have it done. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and I definitely would not say that I lost in this situation. The person who I needed to talk to now knows how I feel and I know how they feel and where they're coming from and hopefully that will help us to move along and progress in our relationship. We had a very real, candid conversation and it feels like a weight has been lifted off of my chest. Yes!
Part of me is thinking why the heck did I wait so long to have that conversation, but at the same time, I'm glad I waited because it felt like the prime, most appropriate time to do it.
Smiling today! My wish for anyone reading this is that you have a reason to be smiling today too!
I'm not the biggest fan of John Mayer, but his song, "Say What You Need to Say" fits perfectly with how I'm feeling today.
I said what I needed to say and it feels sooooooooo good to have it done. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and I definitely would not say that I lost in this situation. The person who I needed to talk to now knows how I feel and I know how they feel and where they're coming from and hopefully that will help us to move along and progress in our relationship. We had a very real, candid conversation and it feels like a weight has been lifted off of my chest. Yes!
Part of me is thinking why the heck did I wait so long to have that conversation, but at the same time, I'm glad I waited because it felt like the prime, most appropriate time to do it.
Smiling today! My wish for anyone reading this is that you have a reason to be smiling today too!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Where Were You? (When the World Stopped Turning)
I remember it like it was yesterday, and oddly enough like it was forever ago. I was sitting in my freshman year biology class, first period of the day. All of the students were in our seats, our teacher walked in a few minutes late with a deeply sad expression. She said she didn't want to start just yet, that we should wait for an announcement to be made over the intercom. This was before the days that everyone had access to the internet on their cell phones, let alone that everyone had a phone. By this time anyone who had a phone had it turned off and stuck in the bottom of their backpack for fear of it getting taken away. None of us young students, I was just 14, could have ever dreamed of what we were about to hear.
The song of the day is "Where Were You? (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson.
Our principal came over the PA system and started talking. We heard the words 'World Trade Center,' 'planes crashed,' 'terror.' We were instructed not to go outside to get to the opposite sides of the building, that it would be okay if we were late to our classes in different wings. What a day. That day, a beautiful September day, changed my world and the world around me.
As news broke last night of Osama bin Laden's death, I wasn't sure what to feel. What would the last 10 years have been like if not for this man? Would the terrible events of September 11th have occurred without him? Would our country be in the worst financial situation it's seen in decades if not for 9/11? Or would something catastrophic have happened at the hands of someone else if bin Laden had not? Would the thousands of people killed on our soil, and the thousands of brave men and women overseas, have perished in some other manner? Or would my world still feel safe? I think of the ripple effect of that day. The number of people directly and indirectly effected. The world changed. The children born since September 11th only know a world at war. They see a world in which hatred and pain rule headlines. What a shame. When I was 10 I believed in the good of the people around me and accepted those around me. Now there are people who doubt others intentions and question them if they look different from us or believe in a different God. What a shame.
It feels so odd to think of rejoicing in another man's death, no matter what he did. He was a human being. He was one of God's children. But he was evil. He caused so much heartache and destruction. Do I praise his death or do I pray?
I know I will be praying that he had his chance at salvation, I believe that we all do whether we accept to be saved or not. Am I happy that this man no longer has a chance to cause pain to anyone else? Yes. I will forever live in the world that he changed and I am forever grateful to the men and women who helped to capture him.
The song of the day is "Where Were You? (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson.
Our principal came over the PA system and started talking. We heard the words 'World Trade Center,' 'planes crashed,' 'terror.' We were instructed not to go outside to get to the opposite sides of the building, that it would be okay if we were late to our classes in different wings. What a day. That day, a beautiful September day, changed my world and the world around me.
As news broke last night of Osama bin Laden's death, I wasn't sure what to feel. What would the last 10 years have been like if not for this man? Would the terrible events of September 11th have occurred without him? Would our country be in the worst financial situation it's seen in decades if not for 9/11? Or would something catastrophic have happened at the hands of someone else if bin Laden had not? Would the thousands of people killed on our soil, and the thousands of brave men and women overseas, have perished in some other manner? Or would my world still feel safe? I think of the ripple effect of that day. The number of people directly and indirectly effected. The world changed. The children born since September 11th only know a world at war. They see a world in which hatred and pain rule headlines. What a shame. When I was 10 I believed in the good of the people around me and accepted those around me. Now there are people who doubt others intentions and question them if they look different from us or believe in a different God. What a shame.
It feels so odd to think of rejoicing in another man's death, no matter what he did. He was a human being. He was one of God's children. But he was evil. He caused so much heartache and destruction. Do I praise his death or do I pray?
I know I will be praying that he had his chance at salvation, I believe that we all do whether we accept to be saved or not. Am I happy that this man no longer has a chance to cause pain to anyone else? Yes. I will forever live in the world that he changed and I am forever grateful to the men and women who helped to capture him.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
For You I Will (Confidence)
So, I have to have a talk with someone that I've kind of been dreading because of it's awkwardness/touchy stuff. I've been putting it off and putting it off but I need to take the leap or else it's just going to get harder and harder.
Song of the day is "For You I Will (Confidence)" by Teddy Geiger.
I need to "muster every ounce of confidence I have, and cannon ball into the water" and get this talk out of the way.
Wish me luck, hopefully the water isn't too cold!
Song of the day is "For You I Will (Confidence)" by Teddy Geiger.
I need to "muster every ounce of confidence I have, and cannon ball into the water" and get this talk out of the way.
Wish me luck, hopefully the water isn't too cold!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Christ is Risen
Happy Easter!
My family is currently between a delicious brunch and waiting to go to church on this beautiful Easter morning.
The song of the day is Matt Maher's song, "Christ is Risen."
To listen to the song, click this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2KNvuscKRA
Today, I leave you with just the lyrics to ponder.
Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but Heaven's will
No scheme of Hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night
Sing it, o death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Rise up from the grave
My family is currently between a delicious brunch and waiting to go to church on this beautiful Easter morning.
The song of the day is Matt Maher's song, "Christ is Risen."
To listen to the song, click this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2KNvuscKRA
Today, I leave you with just the lyrics to ponder.
Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but Heaven's will
No scheme of Hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night
Sing it, o death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Rise up from the grave
Saturday, April 23, 2011
God Loves Us
Rather than a song of the day, I'm going to leave you with a quote for Easter.
"Does God really love us? I say look to the crucified Jesus... By every thorn that punctured His brow... every bruise which heavy fists made upon His head. God said, "I love you!" By all the spit that landed on his face. By every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground. By every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross. By every beat of His loving heart. God said, I love you."
When I think of the enormity of what happened so many hundreds of years ago to Jesus I am overcome with emotion. To try to imagine the suffering that he endured and the brutality and cruelty shown towards him by human beings is so difficult. This man, so clearly something more than a mere mortal, came to us to educate us and show us that there is something more all the while knowing what his fate would be. Trying to think about the last days of Jesus' life and the people around him who he let into his circle, to be betrayed by one of them, to know that His death would forgive the sins of millions of people after Him is unfathomable.
I would like to think that I am a generous and compassionate person. But am I that generous and compassionate? Would I give my life for someone else's if ever put in that situation?
Jesus, the sacrificial lamb. This is something that I wish I could say I think of on a daily basis and that I remember to be grateful daily, but it is not. I thank God for what He has given me and I am aware that He has blessed me, but do I think of what was sacrificed for me to have the life that I have? Not every day. The lenten season as an opportunity to remember. But what about in July, when there are really no thoughts of Easter and no thoughts of Christmas to trigger your thoughts back to the sacrifice made?
I urge you, as I urge myself, to remember. Remember every day what the significance of Jesus was. He was God in human flesh. He felt everything that you have ever felt. He felt the sadness, fear, hunger, uncertainty, joy, excitement, love that you have felt. He knows everything about you and I. Every detail, every cell in our body, He knows. He knows what is going to happen to us tomorrow, the next day, and the day after. Yet, He is the same as he was yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow.
In a world that is so chaotic, can be so cruel and mean, He is there. He is the one constant, the one source of true love. We just have to remember to look for Him, but He is there.
Take this Easter to remember and reflect. I know that is what I will be doing - today, tomorrow, and (my goal) every day after.
"Does God really love us? I say look to the crucified Jesus... By every thorn that punctured His brow... every bruise which heavy fists made upon His head. God said, "I love you!" By all the spit that landed on his face. By every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground. By every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross. By every beat of His loving heart. God said, I love you."
When I think of the enormity of what happened so many hundreds of years ago to Jesus I am overcome with emotion. To try to imagine the suffering that he endured and the brutality and cruelty shown towards him by human beings is so difficult. This man, so clearly something more than a mere mortal, came to us to educate us and show us that there is something more all the while knowing what his fate would be. Trying to think about the last days of Jesus' life and the people around him who he let into his circle, to be betrayed by one of them, to know that His death would forgive the sins of millions of people after Him is unfathomable.
I would like to think that I am a generous and compassionate person. But am I that generous and compassionate? Would I give my life for someone else's if ever put in that situation?
Jesus, the sacrificial lamb. This is something that I wish I could say I think of on a daily basis and that I remember to be grateful daily, but it is not. I thank God for what He has given me and I am aware that He has blessed me, but do I think of what was sacrificed for me to have the life that I have? Not every day. The lenten season as an opportunity to remember. But what about in July, when there are really no thoughts of Easter and no thoughts of Christmas to trigger your thoughts back to the sacrifice made?
I urge you, as I urge myself, to remember. Remember every day what the significance of Jesus was. He was God in human flesh. He felt everything that you have ever felt. He felt the sadness, fear, hunger, uncertainty, joy, excitement, love that you have felt. He knows everything about you and I. Every detail, every cell in our body, He knows. He knows what is going to happen to us tomorrow, the next day, and the day after. Yet, He is the same as he was yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow.
In a world that is so chaotic, can be so cruel and mean, He is there. He is the one constant, the one source of true love. We just have to remember to look for Him, but He is there.
Take this Easter to remember and reflect. I know that is what I will be doing - today, tomorrow, and (my goal) every day after.
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