New Year

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  ~Benjamin Franklin

Well I realize that I am a few days late but here's wishing you all the best in 2011.  Welcome to the year of the rabbit.

Now let me wrap up 2010.  I ended the semester by procrastinating all assignments to the very last moment possible...but ended up with stellar grades in all of my classes - even better than I expected!  I ended up writing my evidence-based proposal about implementing a routine sexual health nursing assessment for adult oncology patients in a rural outpatient oncology clinic.  My professor commented that it was a unique and important idea, but I have experience and my last job to thank rather than my scattered brain.

When all the assignments were finally completed and turned in, J. and I headed to the mountains to visit his family for a few days before Christmas.  Then we dropped about 6,000 feet in elevation to spend some time with my family for Christmas and New Year. 

There was lots of rest and relaxation to be had by all (even the dogs),

there were many games of cards and dominoes to be played,

snow on New Year's Eve,



and the break found me surrendering to the curls that I have battled off and on for so long.

Oh! And more food than you can imagine.  Did I mention that my mother is the best cook in the entire world?  I think my New Year's resolutions will have to go into effect somewhere else...

Speaking of resolutions, I have been trying to think of something new this year.  Of course I always have the same resolutions to exercise more, eat less, study harder, etc., etc., but what could I do that would make a real change in my life and the lives of others?  I know that I can only control myself, and my actions and reactions, so I decided to focus on that - to be a change agent and do everything with love as suggested by my two favorite quotes from two great people:

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
-Mahatma Ghandi

"We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.”
-Mother Theresa

So I will try to make these changes in myself so that I can better achieve my goals and be a better student for my professors, a better nurse for my patients, and a better person for my friends and family.

So I've had a wonderful break, an opportunity to recharge, and hopefully I will still be able to catch up with some good old friends before I return to the world of nursing school.  I noticed this morning that the syllabi have been posted for my two classes this semester, and there is quite a long list of reading for the first class...so my break might not be quite as long as I expected.  I am looking forward to having two clinical courses and no online class though.  OB and Peds here I come!