I'm praying...

For my patients, especially the sick ones. It really does suck being around here when you could be home for the holidays. Many come from far away, so they don't have family visits.

For my coworkers, you know who you are. Praying that saying that tough times never last really is true.

For my son, Bubba, who just decided to have a meltdown while Dahey had a friend in the house. Ugh! Being the disciplinarian, he got his attention, though.

For me, that I can get into the holiday season. I started reviewing my charitable contributions (which I do this time every year). I really do enjoy giving and receiving.

Peace, quiet, family happiness and a clean house aren't too much to ask for...are they?

We'll see...stay tuned!

The weekend is here!

I'm not complaining one bit. I've been productive so far today. I had a nice, restful sleep and I woke up to make my breakfast, then to get my coffee and take my car, the family truckster, for an oil change.

After that, I headed to get coffee again (because one really ISN'T enough) and visit my sister. We enjoyed her patio in the gorgeous, only slightly steamy weather.

Now I'm back at home doing laundry and assessing all the tasks I have to do before work Monday.

Again, it's not a bad option, doing chores. I could be stuck doing something completely different.

Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

Happy New Year

A new day, a new year. Thankful for a warm, dry, home and healthy family and friends.

Let it begin!

Happy Thanksgiving

What I'm thankful for this year:

1. Furniture at the Hotel. I have been shuttling around taking care of patients, and now I'm back home...at a desk.

2. Health. It's something so many people don't have. Health really IS wealth.

3. Family and friends. Some of them passed away this year. I am so glad to celebrate with the ones here today.

4. A family photo. We finally got one outside this year. It's going on the Christmas cards.

Wishing you much health, happiness, and good food today wherever you are.

More to come...

Happy weekend to all!

Bright, shiny, and WARM here in RehabLand. Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you may be.

Happy New Year's Eve!

Celebrate what you want to see more of.~ Tom Peters

I agree! Will be enjoying some fun with my family tonight. May you have a wonderful evening wherever you are.

May 2015 bring you health and happiness, two things of which that you never can have enough.

See you next year!

My mother really was a saint

Momma had coal black hair and eyes just as dark against her Celtic skin. Yes, she looked like those black Irish ancestors sans the blue eyes that Granny had.

She suffered lots of stress in her life: getting married "late" (at 25), not having kids right away, and when she had them, she nearly died.

Momma was stubborn, though. (Dad loved her for that.) After nearly dying and losing her first baby, she kept going until the rest of us were born. She finally was where she wanted to be: a mother of four children, just like all of her siblings (except for her old maid sister Maisie). Granny was pleased with all 24 grand kids. Momma was her baby, and she finally had her own brood of kids. Gramps and Granny absolutely loved being overrun by little (and big) kids at their house.

But, the happiness was short lived. In the prime of her life, Momma found out she had a terminal disease, something she would not get now, but then, they didn't know how to prevent it.

Momma died in her 40s. We were very sad. One of Momma's friends ran a local newspaper and published a long, sweet unofficial obituary for her, which I still have here somewhere. I couldn't bear to read it more than once, so I put it away.

However, I cannot imagine being a child who would have to write this obituary. We had much sadness in our home, but we were loved so much, and so rich in comparison.

I mourn not for the dead lady, but for her children.

Coping mechanisms

To be a nurse, you need to know how to handle the pressure of day-to-day silliness.

My methods:

1. Chocolate. Eat the dark stuff with less sugar and fiber (okay, it still has fat, but you need fiber, right?)

2. Coffee. I don't care if they tell me it will kill me this week. Last week, they said it was my best source of antioxidants.

3. Regular pedicures. Yes, you are only as happy as your feet are (said more than one old pro nurse I know!) Hot pink toes make me happy.

That is all. Enjoy your night wherever you area!

Despite everything...

The day went reasonably well. Things went as well as expected for a Monday.

Let the rest of the week begin!

I think I'll call...

Grumpy made me think of a phrase we hear often at the Hotel. Amongst the rabble, er, employees at the Hotel, we say it in jest. However, the patients take it seriously.

"I'm going to call my Congressman(woman or Senator)!"

While I was doing a follow-up call with one of our folks, he/she was really close to uttering that famous line. I was fortunate that I was able to resolve the problem thanks to one of my office pals.

What happened to a consult for an AFO that was submitted electronically? It went everywhere internally it could go. Things got messed up when it went to the vendor on paper (who'll actually make this one). Somehow the paperwork from the vendor never ended up where it should have.

That's not all...when  Patient X called right around Christmas to see what happened with his/her paperwork, someone (of course they don't have a name) told Patient X, "Well, you know, I'm sorry. We've been busy since So and So retired." Customer service? I don't think so.

Pal enlightened me. "Nobody retired over here, RehabRN. Don't worry, Mike, the assistant chief will call Patient X."

And he did. And Patient X was happy. And so was the Congressman/woman and the Senator.

So, so glad

It's Election Day, a day we should thank our lucky stars that many veterans have fought and died for us to stand in line and vote for what we believe will make our lives better.

I'm also so happy that the robocalls will finally stop. It's so sweet when a call comes over and says "Political call" on the caller ID.

Quiet at dinner time? I can only hope...stay tuned!

Hurry up, Saturday!

By Saturday, I will only have two weeks left in my last (jumping for joy!) summer semester graduate school class.

With the quirky instructor we have now, it just won't get here soon enough! Where is Bob (one of my favorite professors) when I need him?

Stay tuned...

More stories

"A balanced life is the centered intersection of your values, time, and action. That's where integrity resides." Don Blohowiak

I decided as one of my New Year's resolutions, I'd do more volunteer work this year. My first gig: I was a judge for a writing contest at Madison.

I love to write, hence the reason why I volunteered to judge the writing contest. Patients submit poetry and short stories for our local Creative Arts Festival. There's a performing arts section, too, that's really good. The winners get to have their work/performances submitted to the National Creative Arts Festival.

I dawdled with the task at hand, but I finally sat down recently and read my entire book of submissions. Some were good, some were okay and only one or two was really not my cup of tea. Although, some of my counterparts said I rate too easy, I don't think I do. I like stories, poetry and other work that take me away.

Two pieces transported me to places I could see in my mind. One poem talked about the author going back and dancing with a woman, from the perspective of a guy in a wheelchair. I could almost hear the music, see the low lights and smell the perfume in the air. I also wondered which of my patients might have written this poem.

The other was a story, of love, disappointment, joy and unbridled happiness, woven into a story of birth. The center of the story was a curtain, sometimes open and sometimes pulled to protect her. In the  end, the author knew she wasn't alone, if she dared open the curtain up. It had a picture in the ending that was happy and bright, without being saccharine.

Hope you enjoy your next volunteer experience as much as I did!

I am thankful

Despite all of the horrible things that have happened in the past month at work and at home in the RehabRN household, we are so very, very lucky.

No one in our family (or extended family) will be spending the holidays in the hospital. Hooray!

Bubba is much happier now that he is out of the horrible situation he was in, and I am so, so, so thankful for the caring and support he has gotten at school from the teachers and the staff.

Slowly, but surely, I am seeing progress in my work, even though it's only been a short period of time since I started in my new job. The lights are going on...people get it, patients get it. Now all I have to do is get it all together, synched and working.

I have been one lucky human this year.

Happy Thanksgiving all, wherever you are!

Happiness abounds...

When you get lucky and some people actually want to work overtime. I was aghast when Madame Butterfly, one of our night shift nurses, called in sick. She left me in a lurch until another nurse (who wanted our rare OT) came in so I could go home.

Yes, I am a happy camper!

A little happy fellow

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

A little boy at my house is happy tonight. An evening spent at the local bookstore meeting his favorite author did the trick. 

So much fun with all those kids, and no hassles.


Yes, there is much happiness at our house!

Escaped

What better Christmas present to have...

1) You defrost the office refrigerator to kudos from your coworkers.
2) All of your scheduled patients show up early.
3) You get all of your notes done early.
4) You wish farewell to one of your coworkers who's now off to retirement.

I got all these and a partridge in a pear tree...true, all except the partridge.

Even if one of your friends you haven't seen in a long time can't make it home, you go to the restaurant you all go to every time he/she's in, and have your favorite lunch.

You begin the holiday season with family who loves you, who are healthy, and you are blessed with so many good things, including a toilet that is no longer stopped up (love that enzyme stuff!).

Happy holidays, everyone. No matter what you celebrate, enjoy life this weekend.

More later...

Forgot to mention...

It's not a happiness log, but I've been keeping track of the odd disorders and ICD diagnoses since I've been on the SU and my list is getting lengthy.
  
Since I'm now a nurse of leisure, baking cookies and getting spirited, I figure I might as well do something else productive. Sure beats housework any day!

Stay tuned...