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{To Become}

 

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” -Lao Tzu

Many times in life we can become our own enemy.  We doubt ourselves, our abilities, and our strength.  And by doing so, we miss the mark.  We miss out on something great in life by letting fear weasel its way into our head.

We should be confident in ourselves, and in our abilities.  And by standing strong, facing the challenges of life head-on, we find some of life’s most amazing moments!

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Ok…now I am all caught up!  Now to catch up on my blog reading!!!

I couldn’t decide which I liked the best…so I just posted all 3!

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I love ladybugs!!!

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So this week has been a little hectic!  But better late than never!!!

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{My Turn!}

Hi!  I am the furry princess that has been featured on this blog.  I was thinking that it was about time that I have my say on here!

I figure since my mom is so busy she won’t mind…well, she may a little.  But when I give her those sad puppy eyes she’ll forget whatever it was I did!

I am really happy that warm weather and sunshine have finally returned.  It means that I can go outside and smell all the newness of spring.  And most importantly, I can play ball!  If only I could figure out why my mom wants me to bring the ball back to her each time she throws it.  Maybe I want her to chase it while I rest!

And I noticed that I haven’t been pictured on here in a while!  What is with that!?!?!?  So I will end my hijacking with some photos of me…the princess!

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It won’t be long before the few remaining signs of winter are replaced with new life!

{Just For Thoughts}

“Never have regrets about anything.  Each tiny thing shapes you into a stronger person than you were yesterday.  It is how you become who you are today.”

So I am a fan of quotes.  I use them on my blog often as you may have noticed.  But sometime these simple little lines can speak volumes.  And when one does, I like to share it.

One thing I learned early on is that mistakes will be made.  And while some will be more life-altering than others, they all have an impact.  It is a way in which we learn and grow.

I could choose to look back and have regrets and beat myself up over choices that I have made…or I can look forward, letting those choices shape and mold me into the person that I am now.  I chose to look forward!

Here’s to an amazing week…Happy Monday everyone!!! 

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{6 Years Ago Today}

Valentines Day…a day that many associate with chocolate and flowers and love.  For me, it is associated with life.  And being thankful for each breath that I take.

On this day in 2005 I experienced my worst fear.  But I also experienced a feeling that is surreal…and that words cannot adequately describe.

It started as any other day would.  Get up and go to work.  And then that evening go to class.  Nothing seemed unusual or strange.  Just a normal, rainy day. Or so I thought.

So I leave to go to class.  It is no longer raining.  But the roads are still very wet.  I am half way to my destination when I feel my car hit a puddle of water.  Not the first time this has ever happened to me, so I wait to feel myself get traction once again.  But that doesn’t happen.  Something felt very wrong and I knew in that moment that there was an issue.  What happens next takes only seconds, but seems much longer.  I am headed toward a line of pine trees…and they don’t look to forgiving.  So I manage to somehow aim for the ditch.  Little did I know that the ditch was full of water.  My car flips…a total of 2.5 times. 

As this sequence of events begins, I am willing myself to be aware.  I count as I am rolling and in that first roll realize that I am getting wet.  And when the rolling stops, I am left upside down…and under water. 

I am living my nightmare of drowning.  But instead of feeling panic and fear, I have the most overwhelming sense of calmness.  I try to wiggle myself free, but that seatbelt did it’s job perfectly and I was held nice and snug.  What now I am asking myself?  How I am getting out of this water?

And that is when I hear that small voice saying “put your chin to your chest”.  So I grab hold to the steering wheel and lift my head and shoulders up.  Air…I can breath.  As I catch my breath, I am assessing to see what my next move is and thinking why is no one helping me? 

Once again that voice is so very clear “undo the seatbelt”.  I am thinking there is no way.  That seatbelt will need to be cut!  But I reach down and hit the button.  It pops open.  Now the law of gravity says that with the seatbelt off, I should have fallen from the seat and hit my head.  Nope…that doesn’t happen!

Still, there is not one single person coming down to where I am.  And there is definite traffic as it was right at 5pm.  I am on my own to get myself out.  My next move is freeing myself from what remains of my car.  So I squeeze through the opening of my driver’s window…on my belly army style.  All total, my car was under 17 inches of muddy water and muck.

That is when I finally get help.  You see, there were quite a few cars that witnessed the accident as it happened.  And their thoughts were unanimous.  There was no way a person could live through what they had just witnessed. 

The odds were most definitely not in my favor with this accident.  My car was brand new, so airbags should have deployed.  Had they though, I would have been trapped underwater.  I remained conscious.  Had I blacked out, I never would have gotten my head raised out of that muddy water.

Call these things coincidence…I don’t think so.  You see, I know that God’s protection is real.  I know that my “Bubba” angel as I call him was co-pilot that afternoon.  That still, small voice that was heard so clearly…not a real person!

I walked away from that horrific scene with a few cuts and bruises, and a head full of muck from being in that muddy water.  That is it!  And I walked away with a new meaning in life. 

There is no promise of tomorrow…there is no promise of our next breath even.  For me, this experience brought new meaning to that.  Each day is truly a gift from God. 

The pics below are of my car once it was out of that ditch.  I wish that I had a few of it in the ditch before it was removed but I don’t.

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{Chances}

“You’ve got take some chances, you’ve got to risk losing it all.  You’ve got to close your eyes and leap because it may be worth the fall!”

I can’t get this out of my mind, so I thought I would pass it on!  It is so true that we miss out on things because we are scared of the fall, or we can’t see what is waiting around the corner.  But in those moments we do simply let go and take that leap of FAITH, we find ourselves with some of life’s greatest blessings.

So…don’t wait!  Take that leap and see what is waiting!!!

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With the insanity last week, there was absolutely no time to pick up the camera!  But I’m NOT giving up…just starting from here and moving forward :)

{Yes…}

I am still alive!  It has just been one of those weeks.  INSANE doesn’t even begin to describe what it has been like.  But I will be getting back on schedule with my 365 Project tonight…so please stay tuned!!!

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If you worry a lot, then day after day you are learning how to worry even better. If you think about doing something a lot, then you are learning how to think about doing. Every moment you are happy, you are learning how to be even happier. Every time you act, you are learning how to take an action even better. What is it that you've been learning today? What is it that you want to learn tomorrow?

That is just a little something that I came across and I thought I would share!

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OOPS!  Thought I hit publish last night…but hit draft instead!

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{The Difference}

Yesterday I was reminded of why I have chosen the profession that I have.  Nursing is not a career that one just wakes up and decides to take on.  It is more than just provided a person with physical care.

There are definite areas of nursing that I have fallen in love with.  Which area I will choose to specialize in remains to be seen.  One area that is not my favorite is geriatrics.  I know that is not my calling.  Throw me in with the ankle biters please! 

My clinical rotation for the last 2 weeks has had me on a medical/surgical floor.  These are patients that are in for various medical reasons.  And most of the time, these patients are much older.  And present you with many challenges!

I got my assignment on Tuesday and had a feeling that one patient would not be a cake walk.  This patient was not all that happy about being there…but really, who is?  So I proceed through my day.  Said patient is not overly talkative and answers to questions are brief.  Day ends and I expect to move on to different patients for Wednesday. 

Surprise!  We are keeping the same patients from the previous day.  My immediate thought was to just make it through the day.  So I get started with my morning routine.  And even though I am far from being a morning person, put on my happy face and smile.

Little did I know that the happy face and smile had made a difference.  The patient was a little more talkative, but not by much.  So at the end of the day I go in to take care of a few things and tell the patient bye.  That is when he commented to me that it is nice to see a smiling face and an overall happy person.

I have always known that our actions speak louder than words.  And our expressions are included in that as well.  But to actually hear how our actions affect someone will really make you stop in your tracks!

This is why I have chosen nursing.  It is much more than giving medications…it is care that involves all aspects of physical and emotional well being.  I know that the words of this patient will stick with me for many years.  And little did I realize that while I was taking care of him, he was changing my outlook as well!

{The Way It’s Meant To Be}

There are very few that can say they have been married for a significant number of years.  Marriage is not held in the same regard that previous generations held to. 

Thankfully there are still those that have stood beside each other through it all.  And I am honored that my grandparents are included in this group.  They are celebrating their 66th Anniversary today! Yep…they were married on this day back in 1945.  When they got married, my grandfather was 19 and my grandmother 16. 

Happy Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa…we love you both so very much!!!

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WooHoo!  The ground hog didn’t see his shadow this morning.  Although I would love to believe that he is 100% accurate…I know that I am dreaming big!  Regardless, I am really ready to see Spring arrive and winter booted out the door.

{Summing It Up}

So this pretty much sums it up.  I am so over 4am mornings, care plans and nursing diagnoses!  June 9th 2011 cannot get here soon enough!!!  That is 129 days to be exact. 

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