Best-laid plans survive until they’re acted upon, and all kinds of crap can occur. Not to be overly pessimistic, but my last blog entry has been challenging to bring fully to reality due to all that stuff of life. I related my intention to improve my fitness and intrinsic strength of my core due to a nurse’s back pain; indeed, I have reached that age where it’s not maintenance. It’s a complete renovation with no other new parts planned (the right knee was a godsend).

So the hurdles include my aging parent, who seems to have taken up residence in our community hospital. Deconditioned is placing his status mildly, with generalized weakness secondary to immobility. I suspect some care tasks were impossible due to staffing, resources, and workload. Ironically, the body has to move, or it literally seizes up.

So for my own status, golf season has started, and I have been out on a course four times and driving ranges when possible to rediscover my golf swing. As no new parts have been installed in my back, but the spinal ablation has helped eliminate 85% of the pain, I always admire the human body’s design and that movement is good and sitting or lying down for too many hours is terrible. So with the talent of my chiropractor, gardening, and other tasks, my body continues to function.

Eliminating weight seems daunting, but my knowledge of SMART goals, weighed by accepting life is not perfect, laid out to achieve what you want quickly, and work-life balance is finding those segments of time to do I Want list. Additionally, life relative for other earth residents is diverse due to challenges related to climate changes, war, wildfires, drought, criminal activities, etc. So I count myself fortunate at this point.

My blessing during the nursing week was my aging parent, who attended the Chapter’s dinner (the first live event since the pandemic); he nominated his clinic nurse as an “Amazing Nurse,” and he, with 86 other guests were fed, joined in celebrating our previous chapter’s successes and the Amazing Nurses profiles. I helped emcee the evening, and it was gratifying to see people laugh, clap robustly, and join a few of us on the dance floor as we boogied and felt the rhythm. Burned a few calories simultaneously; remember to feel and experience the sights, sounds, laughter, and poignancy. Namaste

Categories: Uncategorized

Paula M

Registered Nurse Storyteller, Healer, Scribe, Transformational Leader