(Slightly edited 7-17-09)
Bureaucracy is... Allstate raising our car insurance rates because our zip code is different this renewal time - and we haven't moved an inch since we signed up with them!
Education is bureaucracy when... the microbiology lab test made me cry with frustration because I didn't ' see' the same thing in the microscope that others did; and the Nursing 250 comprehensive test over 10 chapters and 270 "big book" pages was something our instructor called 'impossible to do" - just before we took the test.
In Sociology, we're studying about bureaucracy and complex organizations.
To quote our book, "In popular usage, bureaucracy often has a negative connotation."
I'll pause while you roll on the floor with laughter!
Now I understand why it was probably not the thing to do when I entered the doors of Bohecker College and shouted, "Bring it on!"
Bear in mind, I love my instructors and professors! They are hard-working, caring, empathetic, sensitive, impassioned, creative, under-paid, men and women.
They also get frustrated, stressed out, weary, discouraged, and burned out.
Just like the rest of the world, you, me, our neighbors, family and friends who often feel the same way.
We're tired of hearing about Jon Gosselin stepping out with his 22-year-old girlfriend while ignoring the tears of his wife and eight children. We are fed up with the Florida slayings, the jet crashes, the stock market crashes and the great consumer crash of 2009!
That's why we sometimes enjoy reading about someone who can poke fun at themselves in this dysfunctional, bureaucratic society we live in
I'll poke fun at myself for not recognizing the difference between a 'segment' and a "spiral' inside a bacteria under a microscope for the lab test today. (I still think I saw a segment, but the final answer is a spiral.)
I'll poke fun at myself for thinking I had the right answer to the question of what the magnification is when it says 10X on a microscope. Nope, not 1,000, but 100. I'd love to argue that, but they said it's, 'how the question was worded'. I'm sure my notes say it should be 1,000X.
I'll poke fun at myself for thinking that Streptococcus and Staphylococcus have cell walls. Even if my reasoning is that they are gram-positive. See, I figured that gram-positive WALLS are thick, and gram-negative walls are thin. I must have messed up somewhere between all the negative and positives I bragged about understanding in my last posting.
Anyway, I 'failed' the lab quiz today. I laughed in class, but I cried on the way home. Gotta keep these things in prospective. I made 18 points instead of 25 that will be added to all the other points on September 11, 2009. (The last day of this term. That's 55 days from today, by the way! And, only two days before a planned, highly anticipated, family reunion with my sister and children in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!!!!!!!!!)
"Bring It On" and bureaucracy means:
Don't give me a gas card because I'm not part of a car-pool to Children's Hospital in Akron, Ohio, for the next two Saturdays. (You only get the $50 card if you car-pool.) Actually, I wanted to ask the the director of the school about that gas card and the Saturday thing, but a sign on his door said he was gone until next week. I went to see the person listed on the sign, but she sent me back to the director's office saying he hadn't left the building yet. By the time I got back to his office, his "out of town" sign was down, but he wasn't in his office.
Later, someone announced in class that gas cards would be in the office of the person who sent me back to the director's office, "after 1 p.m.". I went BACK to that office after 1 p.m. but there was another sign on her door indicating that she was in a meeting. No, I don't think I'm going to get that gas card, and I'm absolutely sure I won't car-pool in the back seat of a car with at least four other students because (as most of you reading this know), I HAVE REALLY BAD CLAUSTROPHOBIA. No gas cards for claustrophobics or those who won't car-pool in a bureaucratic world
"Bring It On" and bureaucracy also means: Forcing me to attend school on my Sabbath.
Surprisingly, many of you may not know that I'm a baptised member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who celebrate the Seventh-day Sabbath from sundown Friday night until sundown Saturday night. When I signed up at Bohecker College, the indications were that this was a Monday-Friday program. But, like my church, Bohecker is constantly changing the rules. I'm not committing the unpardonable sin because, as a nurse, I've worked many 'Sabbaths", and I'm working as a nurse this Saturday. So, I'm not going any further down this Sabbath path. But, is it right for the school to make it mandatory for graduation?
"Bring It On" and bureaucracy means: Paying for school uniforms (new rule) when the school already charged me $250 for two sets of whites and a lab jacket that I could have purchased for about $50 at JC Penney Outlet.
I'm a little on the fence about his one because I think we're the only nursing class at Bohecker who can wear anything to school including flip-flops, tank-tops, short-shorts and red bras under white shirts. (Okay, the rules say you can't, but instead of enforcing the rules this time, it's easier to change them.) Not that I wear a red bra under my white shirt, though. I splurged on new jeans and Alfred Drummer outfits for school.
I'm still cringing at the absence of pure whites and nurses caps, but I would get laughed out of the classroom if I told anyone. But, perhaps because of the red bras, the school has decided we will wear professional scrubs after August 1. They haven't decided on a color yet, but knowing that information ahead of time would be just too cool for those of us who don't like spending big wads of money at the last minute on something that we shouldn't be paying for in the first place.
"Bring It On" and bureaucracy means: accepting whatever answer the instructor says is the right answer.
For instance, on one test last week there was a two-part question. The second part was "Why?". (Remember those questions? They know you will miss the "why" part.) When I answered the "WHY" PRECEEDED with the word "WHY" in great big letters, I got counted off two-points because I "didn't answer the why". This week there was a "how would you fix it?" second part to a question. In even BIGGER letters than before, I wrote "FIX IT" and gave my answer. Again, I got marked off two-points, and the instructor wrote in the margin, "why?"
I took the paper to her and argued, "You didn't ask for a why. You asked for a fix-it, and I answered that."
Her response, "I wanted to know why you wrote the fix it answer".
As I commented on the elevator to another student when that instructor got on and off, "I'm mad at her. She owes me four points".
This posting may take you all weekend and most of next week to read, but I have one more "Bring It On" and bureaucracy episode to report.
Remember the humongous 10-chapter test? In preparation, I started reading and reviewing the 270 BIG pages, weeks ago. I also went out an paid over $100 for two NCLEX books that our instructor said she was actually taking the test questions from. (There is a difference between the textbook and the NCLEX books, but that information doesn't count in bureaucracy). I read every chapter in the NCLEX books pertaining to this subject, and I read every handout she gave us on the subject of child birthing, and I read all 270 boring, complicated, pages of the textbook. (An area of nursing I'm never, never going to work!)
Yes, all my classmates were complaining and frustrated with this book/test/class experience. It's the lowest form of working bureaucracy because Bohecker has acknowledged that this book may be inappropriate, and plans are to replace it next term. As a side note, this book is so heavy that if I drop it on the floor at home, my husband has to help me pick it up!
In the meantime, when we finally dragged into class with the frustrated expectation of the test heavy on our minds this morning (minutes after the lab test - no time for tears), the instructor announced we were going to play the game of Jeopardy before we took the test.
Bless her heart. (I guess.) Afterward, we realized that had we not "played' this game, few of us would have passed the test no matter how many 'dad-gum' pages we had read. I didn't need to read the textbook for all those hours, nor did I need to spend all that money on NCLEX books, nor was it necessary to read all the handouts to pass this test in the end. But that's a good example of bureaucracy.
Perhaps we have learned more than we'll ever need to know about maternity nursing, but if you know someone who needs a non-certified midwife, direct them to anyone in my class.
Okay. before you get up off the floor, I want to tell you about something I got FREE in the mail today from WalMart. A roll of free toilet paper!!!!! I really can't do without that. I only have enough TP in the garage to last for two years! At last count, we had 96 rolls of (free) TP on the Pantry 309 shelves!
So, after you have that baby that my class is going to help deliver, we'll give you enough TP to toss up into the trees of your front yard to celebrate.
Please have a nice weekend and smile when you think of me getting up at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday to drive (alone) to Akron and report for duty by 7 a.m. After working 12-hours, (7a - 7p) I'll drive two hours back home to Columbus on Saturday night.
Maybe I should sing as I pass my classmates on the highway this Saturday night, "When The Saints Go Marching In ... Let me be in that number" ... (Graduation. Get it?)
Don't get me wrong, I'm preparing for the other 'big march of the universe'! But I'm here right now. Stuck in the rush-hour traffic of human bureaucracy
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/ and http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
July 15, 2009
July 14, 2009
When All Else Fails....
...Go Shopping!
By the time you read this, I will have taken the dreaded Microbiology lab test and may have one more test to go for the day.
Because I've never taken a class that involved a lab, I've never used a microscope, or cultured a bacteria, or looked at a rod, or done positive staining, or known the difference between a positive stain and a negative stain, Or the difference between a gram-negative organism and a gram-positive organism.
I do know that a desmid is two-sided, and a Spirogyra looks like long strips with lines in them. (Also, used to be the name of a band, but that's not what this is.)
Anyway, I digress.
We're also having a big test on Wednesday (tomorrow) over 10 chapters in our nursing textbook. For those of us who counted the pages, that's 270 pages of different ways a baby can be born! I hope the most important thing I need to remember is that ROA or LOA are two preferred positions for the baby to pop out.
Actually, it all felt so overwhelming after school today, that I dropped the books on the floor and went shopping!
Just a quick little trip to the grocery store, but it was such a positively great rush to see the price drop from over $70 to $30 as it rang down with each coupon and store discount.
Of course, the trip was planned! I had a little list sticking out of my purse with the grocery items I wanted to buy - on sale and with coupons.
Lipton tea = 13 cents a box (for Denise)
Hamburger Helper = 50 cents a box
Quaker Granola bars - $1.00 a box
Keebler Cookies - $1.50 each (for Jim and John)
Cantaloupe = $1.25 each
Mentos - Free
There's more, but it's time to pick up the books again.
Hubby is asleep. The dog is outside barking. Books are calling!
Hey, many of my coupons will expire on July 31, so if you know of any or see any in the Sunday paper that you'd like more of, please let me know.
Run outside tonight (if it's not raining), and look up at the sky. See all those stars? I think I have more coupons than there are stars in the sky!
(flickr.com photo)
Sweet dreams,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
July 13, 2009
Travel Nursing/Travel Nurse
As I near the final term of my LPN to RN transition program, I’m often asked where I plan to work when I’m a registered nurse. Do I want to start my own business, work full time for someone else, or be a travel nurse?
My first response is, “I’m never going to work the med cart again.”
Only those who have walked in my shoes understand fully what I mean by this statement. It means no longer racing against the clock for 8-12 hours without food or water while keeping patients comfortable, responding to emergencies, taking admissions, doing discharges and making rounds with doctors, while still trying to get medications delivered within the time constraints set by teams of administrators who don’t have a clue what it’s like to ‘work the cart’.
Having said all that, I look forward to becoming a member of the team to help bring modern medicine into the 21st century.
I’ve also considered being a travel nurse now that I’m older and still haven’t traveled the way I’d love to. The benefits are excellent, and the choices are unlimited. My husband agrees with me saying that it’s one way to gets some views of the country before we retire permanently.
One agency I’ve considered is called Travel Nurse Across America. Right up front, Travel Nurse Across America offers a benefits package that is hard to beat. This is what they offer right up front.
· Guaranteed Hours
· Housing is FREE, PRIVATE, Utilities Included, Furnished
· Health, Dental, Life Insurance available 1st Day
· Travel Expense Allowance or Reimbursement
· 401k Plan Available on Day One
· Tax Advantage Program for more take-home pay
· Sign-on, Completion, & Referral Bonuses
· Loyalty Program Rewards for cash bonus, paid time off, and more
· Generous Housing & Insurance Subsidies
Hubby and I have discussed making the rounds of cities where our kids live while I work a set number of weeks in the area as a travel nurse. Oldest son lives in Portland, OR. Youngest son lives in Columbia, SC, and little sister lives in Tampa, FL. I’m sure that Travel Nurse Across America would have no problem finding free housing for me near any of those cities. We could keep our home base in Ohio and have a home away from home while I worked on a 13-20 week travel assignment.
As I’ve talked to other nurses who have done travel nursing, they have shared some advice to consider before taking that step. One is to have your Hepatitis B shots and the titer results on hand along with the other licensure paperwork that the agency will help you with. I’ve taken the three-step series of Hep B shots, but I still don’t have a titer in my blood! I’m sure no hospital would accept me without showing that I have a titer to Hep B. I still need to follow up with my doctor on that. Make sure your CPR Certifications and TB results are current. That saves time should you decide to contact the travel agency.
On the flip side, travel nursing requires a nurse to be flexible and good with change. I’ve heard some stories about travel nurses not getting any orientation when they arrived at the new place to work. While travel agencies promise orientation, sometimes those things are out of their control when nurses call off and beds are full!
For sure, you don’t know the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the doctors, nor will you be informed of all the unwritten rules of the workplace. Being the new ‘nurse’ on the blog, you can’t slack off or call in sick, and you’ll be expected to get along with everyone right away.
If the advantages outweigh the risks, jump on the train. Go to this link to find how easy it is to start the process for travel nursing.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
My first response is, “I’m never going to work the med cart again.”
Only those who have walked in my shoes understand fully what I mean by this statement. It means no longer racing against the clock for 8-12 hours without food or water while keeping patients comfortable, responding to emergencies, taking admissions, doing discharges and making rounds with doctors, while still trying to get medications delivered within the time constraints set by teams of administrators who don’t have a clue what it’s like to ‘work the cart’.
Having said all that, I look forward to becoming a member of the team to help bring modern medicine into the 21st century.
I’ve also considered being a travel nurse now that I’m older and still haven’t traveled the way I’d love to. The benefits are excellent, and the choices are unlimited. My husband agrees with me saying that it’s one way to gets some views of the country before we retire permanently.
One agency I’ve considered is called Travel Nurse Across America. Right up front, Travel Nurse Across America offers a benefits package that is hard to beat. This is what they offer right up front.
· Guaranteed Hours
· Housing is FREE, PRIVATE, Utilities Included, Furnished
· Health, Dental, Life Insurance available 1st Day
· Travel Expense Allowance or Reimbursement
· 401k Plan Available on Day One
· Tax Advantage Program for more take-home pay
· Sign-on, Completion, & Referral Bonuses
· Loyalty Program Rewards for cash bonus, paid time off, and more
· Generous Housing & Insurance Subsidies
Hubby and I have discussed making the rounds of cities where our kids live while I work a set number of weeks in the area as a travel nurse. Oldest son lives in Portland, OR. Youngest son lives in Columbia, SC, and little sister lives in Tampa, FL. I’m sure that Travel Nurse Across America would have no problem finding free housing for me near any of those cities. We could keep our home base in Ohio and have a home away from home while I worked on a 13-20 week travel assignment.
As I’ve talked to other nurses who have done travel nursing, they have shared some advice to consider before taking that step. One is to have your Hepatitis B shots and the titer results on hand along with the other licensure paperwork that the agency will help you with. I’ve taken the three-step series of Hep B shots, but I still don’t have a titer in my blood! I’m sure no hospital would accept me without showing that I have a titer to Hep B. I still need to follow up with my doctor on that. Make sure your CPR Certifications and TB results are current. That saves time should you decide to contact the travel agency.
On the flip side, travel nursing requires a nurse to be flexible and good with change. I’ve heard some stories about travel nurses not getting any orientation when they arrived at the new place to work. While travel agencies promise orientation, sometimes those things are out of their control when nurses call off and beds are full!
For sure, you don’t know the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the doctors, nor will you be informed of all the unwritten rules of the workplace. Being the new ‘nurse’ on the blog, you can’t slack off or call in sick, and you’ll be expected to get along with everyone right away.
If the advantages outweigh the risks, jump on the train. Go to this link to find how easy it is to start the process for travel nursing.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
July 12, 2009
Speak The Truth in Love
(flickr.com photo)No, I'm not going to preach. If you want preachin' you could have gone to church yesterday or the day before. I have 'love message' for you.
On my way to school the other day I happened to hit the #2 button on my car radio and got a little upbeat message from "Joyce". I think she's the tall, skinny, well-dressed women I've seen on TV, but even if she's not, her 5-minute speech lifted my spirits. I''ve wanted to share some of her thoughts with you all weekend. (Had to get a paper done first.)
What I heard Joyce say was to, "Speak the truth in love." And the meaing I heard was that we are ALL members of one body. Don't hurt others with fussing and complaining when you could instead think of something nice to say. Don't hurt others any more than one part of your body should hurt another part of your body.
If my foot hurts, I rub it with my hand. If something comes toward my face, my arm will shield my eyes.
I love the idea of walking and talking in love, and hope you feel loved today because of my message. Please pass it on to everyone you meet, and I think you will find yourself smiling in the mirror.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
July 9, 2009
Posting For You - Pantry 309
A new posting at my other site is waiting for you HERE.
Read about my Pantry 309 project and how you can help.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com or http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com NEW! pantry309@yahoo.com
Read about my Pantry 309 project and how you can help.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com or http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com NEW! pantry309@yahoo.com
July 7, 2009
Freebies Link
I've posted a link on my coupon blog for lots of free things you can request online.
Click HERE (my coupon blog) or HERE (the freebies link).
Welcome to my new LPN-RN friend, Denise. Good luck, and thanks for putting Linda's Notebook on your Favorite's list.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
Click HERE (my coupon blog) or HERE (the freebies link).
Welcome to my new LPN-RN friend, Denise. Good luck, and thanks for putting Linda's Notebook on your Favorite's list.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
June 20, 2009
I Wish I Had Picked Up Your Toys
One advantage of growing older is being able to look back at the memories.
One disadvantage is that we often reflect on the regrets in our life.
In my book, Dusty Angels and Old Diaries, there's a story about my oldest son, Billy, when he was about 3-years old. I'm at work when I get a call from the babysitter telling me that Billy wants to talk to me.
After the first moment of slight panic that all was okay with my little boy, I heard his tearful baby voice with the cute little lisp that I thought was soooo cute.
The pleading voice comes to life on page 142 of my memoir.
"Mommy, 'ou pick up my toys when 'ou come home in a little bit." (Story HERE - if link works).
I remember the conversation clearly as if it was yesterday. I was busy trying to get the suppertime medications passed at the nursing home before supper was over, and I was already dealing with many issues of the workplace.
I also remember the conflict of wishing I could just tell him I'd pick up his toys when I got home, but thinking that as a 'good parent', I had to support the babysitter's demands.
After a few moments of firm directions to pick up his toys, I had to gently hang up on his pleading, tearful but persistent urging that I pick up his toys when I got home 'in a little bit'. (Many hours later, sad to say.)
Today, I often see situations where I want to say to someone, "Just pick up the toys".
Last week I went to a small restaurant for lunch before a big test at school. I wanted to do well and decided that fast food wouldn't give me the best nourishment for the day. At Friendlys Restaurant, the waitress welcomed me and asked if I wanted the usual tuna melt as she led me to a corner seat. (How can she remember me and what I like when I go there only once a month or so?)
As I waited, I noticed the cutest little girl about 2-years old sitting on a child's seat at the end of the table. Her yellow daisy top matched her printed pants and bright yellow shoes. She was there with her mother, grandmother, and older brother. Everyone was laughing at her antics and cute childish mannerisms.
But, just as the french fries and grilled cheese sandwich arrived, her mother quickly snapped a plastic bib around her neck.
Instantly the chubby little girl's demeanor changed to tears and tugging at the bib she didn't want to wear. Every time she got it almost off, her mother instantly but persistently snapped it back.
It was one of those, "Just pick up the toys" moments for me. Why spoil her sunshine? She won't remember the incident when she is a mother of two herself, but somewhere in the memory rooms of her mind will be the torment and frustration of when her little world went from sunny to cloudy for the sake of a clean shirt.
For the last three weeks, our class has traveled to a hospital in another city for maternity (OB) clinicals. At the hospital, we must change into hospital-supplied scrubs for the maternity ward. For the last three weeks while changing from Bohecker uniforms into hospital scrubs, another student and I had to find larger sized scrubs for our plus-size busts! We've had to wait - and our classmates have had to wait - while someone brings in larger tops. (There's a shelf for our size, but it's always got the wrong sizes there!)
The other student states she wishes she could be 'small like everybody else" and sounds disappointed and regretful of her size. Truth be known, don't we all? But, while I really wish I could be the 90 pounds I was when my kids were little, I know that's not in the cards for me. Between genes and my lifelong dietary habits, I'm not stylish and chic in size anymore. But, in my mind, I tell myself that a good heart and loving spirit can be more important than worry about one's size or looks. I try to be positive about myself!
How does this relate to picking up the toys? Very much.
I think the other student looks well-dressed no matter what she wears. She carries herself proudly (if you know what I mean), and she has long, think, beautiful, brown hair to die for! Until she mentioned it in the locker room, I wouldn't have thought she was unhappy with her size.
I think that in her lifetime, she had to pick up all her toys. She believes the rule that good looks and a swivel body are more important than feeling good about yourself. That is what the 'rules of the world' say, just as the rules say that one should pick up their own toys.
I can't think of anyone who enjoys picking up their toys. (So to say.) Have you ever given thought to how sweet this world would be if others lovingly picked up all your toys?
My husband often 'picks up my toys'. It always makes me feel special when I find the nail clippers back in the bathroom drawer (so I can find them next time), or my house shoes next to the bed (and I know I left them in front of the chair in the living room), or my housecoat lies over the foot of the bed where I like it at night, when I last saw it hanging over the chair in the kitchen.
Another incident at the hospital yesterday reminded me of 'picking up the toys'. While going through the cafeteria line, the nurse ahead of me asked the server what kind of fish they were serving.
"You don't need to know. Just eat it," was the rude reply.
At the table, we were commenting of how really rude the server was. I said that maybe someone had been really mean to her in her life, and she didn't know how to be kind.
Most of those sitting at the table laughed at me.
"She was just rude" they said.
Then, in a tiny voice, another classmate responded in support of me, "I try to think that about people too. I always think that maybe they've had a hard life or a bad day. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt," she offered.
A better description of the server would be that, perhaps, no one has ever picked up her toys.
I had a long list of examples to write about, but I must close and start my day. I have some things to get ready for Father's Day and a Microbiology test on Monday to study for. (!)
Here's a big welcome to two new members who will get these posting in their e-mails. I can only have ten at a time, so I had to delete two old members (whom I hope will come to the blog for postings), to add my former English professor and my former clinical instructor. Welcome, Denise and AnnMarie.
AnnMarie's daughter is getting married today. AnnMarie seems like a mother who picked up the toys when her children were small and needed a confidence-booster. I believe that Miss Denise loves to pick up the toys of her students when she knows they're having a bad day.
May I propose that your life will be rewarded with more laughter and happiness as you look for ways to 'pick up the toys of others'. And, that you will surround yourself with people who love to pick up your toys.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
HERE for amazon.com link to page 142
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
One disadvantage is that we often reflect on the regrets in our life.
In my book, Dusty Angels and Old Diaries, there's a story about my oldest son, Billy, when he was about 3-years old. I'm at work when I get a call from the babysitter telling me that Billy wants to talk to me.
After the first moment of slight panic that all was okay with my little boy, I heard his tearful baby voice with the cute little lisp that I thought was soooo cute.
The pleading voice comes to life on page 142 of my memoir.
"Mommy, 'ou pick up my toys when 'ou come home in a little bit." (Story HERE - if link works).
I remember the conversation clearly as if it was yesterday. I was busy trying to get the suppertime medications passed at the nursing home before supper was over, and I was already dealing with many issues of the workplace.
I also remember the conflict of wishing I could just tell him I'd pick up his toys when I got home, but thinking that as a 'good parent', I had to support the babysitter's demands.
After a few moments of firm directions to pick up his toys, I had to gently hang up on his pleading, tearful but persistent urging that I pick up his toys when I got home 'in a little bit'. (Many hours later, sad to say.)
Today, I often see situations where I want to say to someone, "Just pick up the toys".
Last week I went to a small restaurant for lunch before a big test at school. I wanted to do well and decided that fast food wouldn't give me the best nourishment for the day. At Friendlys Restaurant, the waitress welcomed me and asked if I wanted the usual tuna melt as she led me to a corner seat. (How can she remember me and what I like when I go there only once a month or so?)
As I waited, I noticed the cutest little girl about 2-years old sitting on a child's seat at the end of the table. Her yellow daisy top matched her printed pants and bright yellow shoes. She was there with her mother, grandmother, and older brother. Everyone was laughing at her antics and cute childish mannerisms.
But, just as the french fries and grilled cheese sandwich arrived, her mother quickly snapped a plastic bib around her neck.
Instantly the chubby little girl's demeanor changed to tears and tugging at the bib she didn't want to wear. Every time she got it almost off, her mother instantly but persistently snapped it back.
It was one of those, "Just pick up the toys" moments for me. Why spoil her sunshine? She won't remember the incident when she is a mother of two herself, but somewhere in the memory rooms of her mind will be the torment and frustration of when her little world went from sunny to cloudy for the sake of a clean shirt.
For the last three weeks, our class has traveled to a hospital in another city for maternity (OB) clinicals. At the hospital, we must change into hospital-supplied scrubs for the maternity ward. For the last three weeks while changing from Bohecker uniforms into hospital scrubs, another student and I had to find larger sized scrubs for our plus-size busts! We've had to wait - and our classmates have had to wait - while someone brings in larger tops. (There's a shelf for our size, but it's always got the wrong sizes there!)
The other student states she wishes she could be 'small like everybody else" and sounds disappointed and regretful of her size. Truth be known, don't we all? But, while I really wish I could be the 90 pounds I was when my kids were little, I know that's not in the cards for me. Between genes and my lifelong dietary habits, I'm not stylish and chic in size anymore. But, in my mind, I tell myself that a good heart and loving spirit can be more important than worry about one's size or looks. I try to be positive about myself!
How does this relate to picking up the toys? Very much.
I think the other student looks well-dressed no matter what she wears. She carries herself proudly (if you know what I mean), and she has long, think, beautiful, brown hair to die for! Until she mentioned it in the locker room, I wouldn't have thought she was unhappy with her size.
I think that in her lifetime, she had to pick up all her toys. She believes the rule that good looks and a swivel body are more important than feeling good about yourself. That is what the 'rules of the world' say, just as the rules say that one should pick up their own toys.
I can't think of anyone who enjoys picking up their toys. (So to say.) Have you ever given thought to how sweet this world would be if others lovingly picked up all your toys?
My husband often 'picks up my toys'. It always makes me feel special when I find the nail clippers back in the bathroom drawer (so I can find them next time), or my house shoes next to the bed (and I know I left them in front of the chair in the living room), or my housecoat lies over the foot of the bed where I like it at night, when I last saw it hanging over the chair in the kitchen.
Another incident at the hospital yesterday reminded me of 'picking up the toys'. While going through the cafeteria line, the nurse ahead of me asked the server what kind of fish they were serving.
"You don't need to know. Just eat it," was the rude reply.
At the table, we were commenting of how really rude the server was. I said that maybe someone had been really mean to her in her life, and she didn't know how to be kind.
Most of those sitting at the table laughed at me.
"She was just rude" they said.
Then, in a tiny voice, another classmate responded in support of me, "I try to think that about people too. I always think that maybe they've had a hard life or a bad day. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt," she offered.
A better description of the server would be that, perhaps, no one has ever picked up her toys.
I had a long list of examples to write about, but I must close and start my day. I have some things to get ready for Father's Day and a Microbiology test on Monday to study for. (!)
Here's a big welcome to two new members who will get these posting in their e-mails. I can only have ten at a time, so I had to delete two old members (whom I hope will come to the blog for postings), to add my former English professor and my former clinical instructor. Welcome, Denise and AnnMarie.
AnnMarie's daughter is getting married today. AnnMarie seems like a mother who picked up the toys when her children were small and needed a confidence-booster. I believe that Miss Denise loves to pick up the toys of her students when she knows they're having a bad day.
May I propose that your life will be rewarded with more laughter and happiness as you look for ways to 'pick up the toys of others'. And, that you will surround yourself with people who love to pick up your toys.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
HERE for amazon.com link to page 142
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
June 16, 2009
Sleepwalking or Joyously Thankful?
This enlightening article came to my inbox that I must share with you. I've done a complete copy and paste in order to give proper credit because I'm not sure who gets copyright privileges here. Please take a moment of "Linda time" to read and empower yourself.
Dejected, he threw the manuscript into the trash, forbidding his wife to remove it. She didn't.
The next day, however, she took the manuscript, still inside the wastebasket, to a publisher who accepted it. The book became a foundation of the human potential movement, selling more than 20 million copies in 47 languages.
Much of Peale's homespun advice sounds quaint or even amusing to us today. Still, the book did a good job of articulating a basic truth:
To a great extent, you create your world with your thoughts. Most personal achievements begin with an abiding faith that we can and will accomplish them.
Even realizing your goals, however, will not lead to lasting satisfaction. That's because human wants are insatiable. Most of us are trapped on what psychologists call the hedonic treadmill. We work to achieve what we desire. Those things satisfy us for a while, but we soon adapt to them and dissatisfaction returns. So next time, we set the bar a little higher...
Our lives can easily become a pastiche of unfulfilled desires. We yearn for a better-paying job, more recognition, greater social status, a newer car, a bigger house, a firmer abdomen, perhaps even a sexier spouse.
Dissatisfaction is not all bad, of course. Desire can motivate us to achieve good things in our lives, too. But a continual sense of lack creates anxiety. It undermines our satisfaction. Peace of mind eludes us.
Fortunately, the ancient Stoic philosophers had a technique you can use to override the adaptation process and recapture the contentment we seek. It's called negative visualization.
The technique is to spend some time each day imagining that you have lost the things you value most. Vividly imagine, for example, that your job has just been terminated, that your house - with all your possessions - has burned to the ground, that your partner has left you, or that you have lost your sight, your hearing, or the use of your limbs.
This sounds horribly bleak, I know. But the Stoics were onto something here. They understood that everything we enjoy in life is simply "on loan" to us from Fortune. Any of it - all of it - can be recalled without a moment's notice.
Epictetus reminds us, for example, that our children have been given to us "for the present, not inseparably nor forever."
The Roman philosopher Seneca advises us to live each day as if it were our last, indeed as if this very moment were our last. He's not suggesting that you drop your responsibilities and squander the day in frivolous or hedonistic activities. He's encouraging you to change your state of mind.
Maybe you are already living the dream you once had for yourself. Along the way, however, you became jaded, bored, numb to the blessings that surround you. The goal of the Stoics would be to wake you up, to make you appreciate what you have today.
Some will argue that negative visualization is fine for those who are happy, healthy, and prosperous - but how about the troubled, the less fortunate?
Negative visualization works for them, too. If you have lost your job, imagine losing your possessions. If you have lost your possessions, imagine losing the people you love. If you have lost the people you love, imagine losing your health. If you have lost your health, imagine losing your life.
There is hardly a person alive who could not be worse off. That makes it hard to imagine someone who wouldn't benefit from this technique.
Adaptation diminishes our enjoyment of the world. Negative visualization brings it back.
It also prepares us for life's inevitable setbacks. Survivors of tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, for example, may suffer terribly. Yet afterward, they often tell us that they were just sleepwalking through life before. Now, they are joyously, thankfully alive.
No one should need a catastrophe to feel this way. You can attain the same realization through negative visualization. Moreover, it can be practiced regularly, so its beneficial effects, unlike a catastrophe, can last indefinitely.
Try it and you'll see. I've found it's perfect for when you're standing in line or stuck in traffic, time that would be wasted otherwise.
By contemplating the impermanence of everything in your world, you can invest all your activities with more intensity, higher significance, greater awareness.
In sum, Norman Vincent Peale got it half-right. Positive visualization helps you get what you want. Negative visualization helps you want what you get.
[Ed. Note: Alex Green is Investment Director and Chairman of The Oxford Club, and is the bestselling author of The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters. His new book - described by Michael Masterson as "shockingly good" - explores money, meaning, and the pursuit of the good life. To pick up a copy, click here.]""
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
""Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves."
- Henry David Thoreau
- Henry David Thoreau
When Norman Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking 60 years ago, he received a stack of rejection slips from publishers.
Dejected, he threw the manuscript into the trash, forbidding his wife to remove it. She didn't.
The next day, however, she took the manuscript, still inside the wastebasket, to a publisher who accepted it. The book became a foundation of the human potential movement, selling more than 20 million copies in 47 languages.
Much of Peale's homespun advice sounds quaint or even amusing to us today. Still, the book did a good job of articulating a basic truth:
To a great extent, you create your world with your thoughts. Most personal achievements begin with an abiding faith that we can and will accomplish them.
Even realizing your goals, however, will not lead to lasting satisfaction. That's because human wants are insatiable. Most of us are trapped on what psychologists call the hedonic treadmill. We work to achieve what we desire. Those things satisfy us for a while, but we soon adapt to them and dissatisfaction returns. So next time, we set the bar a little higher...
Our lives can easily become a pastiche of unfulfilled desires. We yearn for a better-paying job, more recognition, greater social status, a newer car, a bigger house, a firmer abdomen, perhaps even a sexier spouse.
Dissatisfaction is not all bad, of course. Desire can motivate us to achieve good things in our lives, too. But a continual sense of lack creates anxiety. It undermines our satisfaction. Peace of mind eludes us.
Fortunately, the ancient Stoic philosophers had a technique you can use to override the adaptation process and recapture the contentment we seek. It's called negative visualization.
The technique is to spend some time each day imagining that you have lost the things you value most. Vividly imagine, for example, that your job has just been terminated, that your house - with all your possessions - has burned to the ground, that your partner has left you, or that you have lost your sight, your hearing, or the use of your limbs.
This sounds horribly bleak, I know. But the Stoics were onto something here. They understood that everything we enjoy in life is simply "on loan" to us from Fortune. Any of it - all of it - can be recalled without a moment's notice.
Epictetus reminds us, for example, that our children have been given to us "for the present, not inseparably nor forever."
His advice: In the very act of kissing your child, silently reflect on the possibility that she could die tomorrow.
The Roman philosopher Seneca advises us to live each day as if it were our last, indeed as if this very moment were our last. He's not suggesting that you drop your responsibilities and squander the day in frivolous or hedonistic activities. He's encouraging you to change your state of mind.
Maybe you are already living the dream you once had for yourself. Along the way, however, you became jaded, bored, numb to the blessings that surround you. The goal of the Stoics would be to wake you up, to make you appreciate what you have today.
Some will argue that negative visualization is fine for those who are happy, healthy, and prosperous - but how about the troubled, the less fortunate?
Negative visualization works for them, too. If you have lost your job, imagine losing your possessions. If you have lost your possessions, imagine losing the people you love. If you have lost the people you love, imagine losing your health. If you have lost your health, imagine losing your life.
There is hardly a person alive who could not be worse off. That makes it hard to imagine someone who wouldn't benefit from this technique.
Adaptation diminishes our enjoyment of the world. Negative visualization brings it back.
It also prepares us for life's inevitable setbacks. Survivors of tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, for example, may suffer terribly. Yet afterward, they often tell us that they were just sleepwalking through life before. Now, they are joyously, thankfully alive.
No one should need a catastrophe to feel this way. You can attain the same realization through negative visualization. Moreover, it can be practiced regularly, so its beneficial effects, unlike a catastrophe, can last indefinitely.
Try it and you'll see. I've found it's perfect for when you're standing in line or stuck in traffic, time that would be wasted otherwise.
By contemplating the impermanence of everything in your world, you can invest all your activities with more intensity, higher significance, greater awareness.
In sum, Norman Vincent Peale got it half-right. Positive visualization helps you get what you want. Negative visualization helps you want what you get.
[Ed. Note: Alex Green is Investment Director and Chairman of The Oxford Club, and is the bestselling author of The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters. His new book - described by Michael Masterson as "shockingly good" - explores money, meaning, and the pursuit of the good life. To pick up a copy, click here.]""
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
June 15, 2009
Shut-up!
I've given myself 30 minutes to write this posting in order to force myself to stay on track and tell the facts as I see them. I could spend hours telling the story as other see it!
First of all, as I looked up words describing how I feel, starting with 'mortified' and going forward to chagrined, remorseful, contrite, embarrassed, penitent, regretful, sorry, somewhat foolish, quite displeased with myself, flustered, ruffled, irritated and upset - they all fit me at the moment.
But I do not feel ashamed, humiliated, depressed or (too) worried. That may be how the other person (people) feels, though.
I had my first 'fight' at school. Yeah, "Grandma" Mama Linda got into it and may or may not be in for some explaining to the school officials, but I don't think so.
At the start of this new term on June 1, we had several new students whom I attempted to 'be nice to' as is my nature to make people feel comfortable. It worked with a couple of new students, but there was a (should I say the word?) a 'click' who seemed happy enough to sit together and not particularly mingle with the rest of the class.
But, this group of three or four students are often rather noisy during class. They usually sit in the back and most don't mind or care that much.
Today, this group seemed more animated than usual. Sitting across from then, I saw that one of the girls was texting from behind her purse and whatever was being said caused some extra chatter, giggles and whispering that was really annoying me.
I gave them a couple 'looks', but it seemed that they got even more noisy. The instructor usually has a zero tolerance for any disruption at all, but he was running a video on the Internet and a power point that kept him busy.
Out of the blue, I said in a tone meant for the students across the isle, "You guys need to shut up!"
At once, the instructor came to our part of the room and said, "What's going on?"
"I just told them to shut up," was my honest and instantaneous reply.
But, now the entire class heard me and knew what was going on.
Keeping on point...The instructor turned to the noisy parties and said, "If you have a question, you can ask me. Do you get my point?"
After class he told two of the group (I thought there was more being noisy), to stay behind and talk to him.
The bad problem is that our next class is with this same instructor in the micro lab, and the lab was locked so everyone had to stand in the hall knowing full well what was going on - and giving me some ribbing for my comments.
During micro lab, I asked the instructor for a moment and he took me in the 'closet' (ha ha) with the door slightly open to watch the class while we discussed what happened.
It seems the guy student of the noisy party is really upset. (I thought it was the girl who was texting.) Anyway, I'm sure I've humiliated that student horribly.
The instructor suggests that if I 'think I should' maybe an apology would be appropriate, although he said he might had used worse language if he wasn't the instructor.
Of course, the rest of the class is somewhat divided on their opinion on what happened. Some say the group needed it. I believe most feel that I was very rude. "Very rude". (How many times have I used those words to describe how others are acting?)
Okay. Telling anyone to "shut-up" is rude. What I said was, 'You guys need to shut-up." I believe that is slightly different, but at the moment, who is counting peas in a pod.
When I see this group again, I will, of course, apologize. Perhaps now, a few of my classmates think a little less of me. But, what if some of my classmates think better of me for having the guts to speak up at all? It really doesn't matter. I feel terrible and wish I knew who these students are so I could tell them I was rude, and I'm sorry for my behavior.
In the meantime, I'll try not to fret and worry myself sick over it - as I have a tendency to do.
It's done. I'll try to fix it and move on.
They were rude. I was rude. Isn't that even in the universe of things?
No. Someone always gets hurt.
And we shouldn't hurt people on our journey of life.
My half-hour is up.
Please Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
First of all, as I looked up words describing how I feel, starting with 'mortified' and going forward to chagrined, remorseful, contrite, embarrassed, penitent, regretful, sorry, somewhat foolish, quite displeased with myself, flustered, ruffled, irritated and upset - they all fit me at the moment.
But I do not feel ashamed, humiliated, depressed or (too) worried. That may be how the other person (people) feels, though.
I had my first 'fight' at school. Yeah, "Grandma" Mama Linda got into it and may or may not be in for some explaining to the school officials, but I don't think so.
At the start of this new term on June 1, we had several new students whom I attempted to 'be nice to' as is my nature to make people feel comfortable. It worked with a couple of new students, but there was a (should I say the word?) a 'click' who seemed happy enough to sit together and not particularly mingle with the rest of the class.
But, this group of three or four students are often rather noisy during class. They usually sit in the back and most don't mind or care that much.
Today, this group seemed more animated than usual. Sitting across from then, I saw that one of the girls was texting from behind her purse and whatever was being said caused some extra chatter, giggles and whispering that was really annoying me.
I gave them a couple 'looks', but it seemed that they got even more noisy. The instructor usually has a zero tolerance for any disruption at all, but he was running a video on the Internet and a power point that kept him busy.
Out of the blue, I said in a tone meant for the students across the isle, "You guys need to shut up!"
At once, the instructor came to our part of the room and said, "What's going on?"
"I just told them to shut up," was my honest and instantaneous reply.
But, now the entire class heard me and knew what was going on.
Keeping on point...The instructor turned to the noisy parties and said, "If you have a question, you can ask me. Do you get my point?"
After class he told two of the group (I thought there was more being noisy), to stay behind and talk to him.
The bad problem is that our next class is with this same instructor in the micro lab, and the lab was locked so everyone had to stand in the hall knowing full well what was going on - and giving me some ribbing for my comments.
During micro lab, I asked the instructor for a moment and he took me in the 'closet' (ha ha) with the door slightly open to watch the class while we discussed what happened.
It seems the guy student of the noisy party is really upset. (I thought it was the girl who was texting.) Anyway, I'm sure I've humiliated that student horribly.
The instructor suggests that if I 'think I should' maybe an apology would be appropriate, although he said he might had used worse language if he wasn't the instructor.
Of course, the rest of the class is somewhat divided on their opinion on what happened. Some say the group needed it. I believe most feel that I was very rude. "Very rude". (How many times have I used those words to describe how others are acting?)
Okay. Telling anyone to "shut-up" is rude. What I said was, 'You guys need to shut-up." I believe that is slightly different, but at the moment, who is counting peas in a pod.
When I see this group again, I will, of course, apologize. Perhaps now, a few of my classmates think a little less of me. But, what if some of my classmates think better of me for having the guts to speak up at all? It really doesn't matter. I feel terrible and wish I knew who these students are so I could tell them I was rude, and I'm sorry for my behavior.
In the meantime, I'll try not to fret and worry myself sick over it - as I have a tendency to do.
It's done. I'll try to fix it and move on.
They were rude. I was rude. Isn't that even in the universe of things?
No. Someone always gets hurt.
And we shouldn't hurt people on our journey of life.
My half-hour is up.
Please Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
June 11, 2009
Good Deals and Free Meals
Most of you who get this by e-mail don't get my postings from over on my 'coupon blog' as I call it. My coupon blog, Good Deals and Free Meals has an address of http://goldencoupons.blogspot.com
I'm so proud of my grocery shopping trip tonight that I just had to share on this website that at Meijer, I didn't pay for anything by the time I "stacked" Meijer coupons with manufactures coupons. In fact, I got 30 cents BACK.
At Kroger, I spent about $15 and saved $80. This by watching the sales, making a list of what I want to buy using coupons on hand. Plus taking advantage of store specials where I use coupons I wasn't planning to use if it brings the cost to almost nothing. (Manager's Specials). I almost never get anything unless it's on my list, and I only buy things that we will use.
If anyone wants more information on how to save with coupons, I offer my services for free! Jim says I'd make a good teacher if I wanted to start teaching classes on how to save by using coupons. He is very impressed and pleased at how much we are saving each month.
Time for bed. 4:30 a.m. will be here too soon!
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
I'm so proud of my grocery shopping trip tonight that I just had to share on this website that at Meijer, I didn't pay for anything by the time I "stacked" Meijer coupons with manufactures coupons. In fact, I got 30 cents BACK.
At Kroger, I spent about $15 and saved $80. This by watching the sales, making a list of what I want to buy using coupons on hand. Plus taking advantage of store specials where I use coupons I wasn't planning to use if it brings the cost to almost nothing. (Manager's Specials). I almost never get anything unless it's on my list, and I only buy things that we will use.
If anyone wants more information on how to save with coupons, I offer my services for free! Jim says I'd make a good teacher if I wanted to start teaching classes on how to save by using coupons. He is very impressed and pleased at how much we are saving each month.
Time for bed. 4:30 a.m. will be here too soon!
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
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