If I had to choose an outfit to show people who I am, I think I might wear just what I have on tonight as I sit here trying to keep out the cold: sweatpants with my nursing program’s logo, a band t-shirt, and a sweatshirt from the Be The Match bone marrow registry. These items hardly show any fashion sense, but– along with being cozy and warm– go a long way for defining the major aspects of “me”.
- Nursing. It’s been 8 months now since I’ve graduated from nursing school. In that time my patience and even my hope has sometimes faltered, but my passion for the field always remained.
- Music. The art of music brings me peace, and gets me through just about every high and low I encounter. More important is the fact that I can share this love with my friends.
- Giving. Donating bone marrow this past summer sparked something in me that I am forever grateful for. Realizing the impact of simple actions, recognizing the connection we all share to one another… The experience has changed me forever.
Finding your passions– truly being aware of them, and seeking them out– is what life should be all about. In the recent months, I have become better at recognizing the power of listening to my heart, having faith that if I live to the best of my abilities, good things will happen. When it is meant to be, have faith that all of the pieces will fall into place.
And this has been true for me. I can proudly say that as of last week, I have secured myself a nursing job! The position seems to be just what I need to fulfill my passions. I will be working on a unit with pediatric and adult beds, accepting patients from medicine/surgery as well as oncology. Pediatrics has long been my biggest interest, but I knew that med/surg experience would be useful for the future, and after the bone marrow donation experience my interest in working in oncology skyrocketed. It’s as though it was meant to be.
It’s impossible to know what is truly planned for your life. Literally days before interviewing for this job, I had flown to Florida to interview for a NICU internship. I believed that that could be my destiny, and it sure felt like the pieces were coming together for that opportunity. But God, the Universe, whoever is running this show had a different plan in mind. My trip to Florida wasn’t meant to bring a job offer, it was meant to bring me a fresh perspective. (Plane rides always do that for me). My interview for the internship was meant to help me flesh out my thoughts, perfect my routine, and flush all those interview jitters out of my system.
I know by now that I could very well be wrong about this plan, too, and that in the end even this job offer was just a stepping stone on a greater journey. Even from my window seat on the airplane, I was only able to see as far as my eyes would allow. But it’s exhilerating to be on this journey, and I’m looking forward to bringing my passions along for the ride.
Newly a Nurse 