This year is Mother's 75th birthday! Those of us who were in town gathered at my house on Thursday afternoon to celebrate: Ingvild and I, Mother and Father, even Roland and Sharon came, surfacing from end of term round the clock frenzy of writing papers. I was especially happy about that, because I know they have little time. We went out to eat at Sebastian's Cucina, the new organic restaurant, featuring grass fed beef raised by Sebastian himself, as well as fish and a few vegetarian dishes. The food was good, but not great. The prices were good, considering that most of the food was organic though. The atmosphere was cozy. I guess with a name like that, I had expected the menu to feature Italian food, which it did not. After dinner we went back to my place for cake and tea. Cake being the delicious nut and chocolate layer cake from Green Star.
The party broke up pretty early, Sharon had to get back to her writing, and Mother and Father are going to San Diego tomorrow to visit my sister. Not surprisingly Mother has not packed yet.
I was surprised however, when I arrived at the farm on friday morning to find her standing over the stove cooking blinzes for breakfast, 45 minutes before we were due to leave for the airport.
"Shall I put your bags in the car awhile?" I asked.
"Oh, I haven't finished packing yet!" was the answer.
We got to the airport a bare hour before the plane was due to leave. One of these days Mother is going to miss a plane. She's a regular Bridget Jones when it comes to packing.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
What is a good nurse? - knowledge, compassion, teamwork
The past few days I have experienced 3 things that make me feel good about myself:
1. I passed the 102 strip tele test. I also passed ADSL recertification.
2. A coworker said to me: "you are so fast! Three times in 2 nights when something is happening with one of the patients you right on the spot, asking what you can do to help!
3. Another coworker told me that a patient had told her that he liked me so much, and the care I gave.
There is hope for me yet!
For weeks my self confidence as a nurse has been at an all-time ebb. I ask myself - do I know enough to make the decisions that could affect my patients life and death, or seriously impact their quality of life? Do I have enough compassion? Am I a good co-worker or am I just a dead weight, barely able to take care of my own area of responsibility? The responsibility has been weighing on me. The stess has been overwhelming and as usual it affects my memory, my concentration and my outlook. I like to say that while some people, when they are stressed and overworked get migraines or ulcers, I get dementia. My mind feels like a sieve. I've been looking into how my healthstyle can improve my mental abilities and my tolerance for stress and frustration. Some things I have been trying are water aerobics, Tai Chi, fresh air and sunlight (I take a book to the swing bench on the park along the lake and read and swing while I soak up the sunshine), and abundant fruit and vegetables.
My brother, Adam, addressing the question of knowledge, told me how he went about learning his ship inside-out when he was in the navy. It inspired me to study even harder, and use some of his methods. The fact is, I love nursing. I love learning it and I love practicing it. I genuinely like the patients, and I love the experience of good teamwork. I just don't love the grunge and the dust invading my house as my work takes over my private life as well as my work life, I don't like never having time for my 15-year old daughter, Ingvild, or time to write to friends.
1. I passed the 102 strip tele test. I also passed ADSL recertification.
2. A coworker said to me: "you are so fast! Three times in 2 nights when something is happening with one of the patients you right on the spot, asking what you can do to help!
3. Another coworker told me that a patient had told her that he liked me so much, and the care I gave.
There is hope for me yet!
For weeks my self confidence as a nurse has been at an all-time ebb. I ask myself - do I know enough to make the decisions that could affect my patients life and death, or seriously impact their quality of life? Do I have enough compassion? Am I a good co-worker or am I just a dead weight, barely able to take care of my own area of responsibility? The responsibility has been weighing on me. The stess has been overwhelming and as usual it affects my memory, my concentration and my outlook. I like to say that while some people, when they are stressed and overworked get migraines or ulcers, I get dementia. My mind feels like a sieve. I've been looking into how my healthstyle can improve my mental abilities and my tolerance for stress and frustration. Some things I have been trying are water aerobics, Tai Chi, fresh air and sunlight (I take a book to the swing bench on the park along the lake and read and swing while I soak up the sunshine), and abundant fruit and vegetables.
My brother, Adam, addressing the question of knowledge, told me how he went about learning his ship inside-out when he was in the navy. It inspired me to study even harder, and use some of his methods. The fact is, I love nursing. I love learning it and I love practicing it. I genuinely like the patients, and I love the experience of good teamwork. I just don't love the grunge and the dust invading my house as my work takes over my private life as well as my work life, I don't like never having time for my 15-year old daughter, Ingvild, or time to write to friends.
May Day
May - my favorite month. The month of my birthday, my wedding day, the birth of my youngest daughter and the month where spring transforms to summer. All is new and lovely! All around me trees are blooming: apples, cherry and magnolia, forsythia are flaming hedges, hyacinths, tulips and daffodils spread a riot of color and scent. The snowstorm of 2 weeks ago is just a bad dream....
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