Thankful Thursday | counting down
This week, I am thankful:
that today is my last residency meeting
I am thrilled about this! All we have is a little graduation meeting next month, and then I'm truly done with nursing residency.
Woohoo!
that I am nearly done with my class overlap
On July 12th, the overlap ceases to exist, and I am so relieved.
I had an end-of-class group project due this week in one class, and an 8-10 page paper due in the other one, so I am glad to see the back end of this week's schoolwork!
that I have only six weeks left of full-time nursing
We are going to be counting down each week, so prepare yourselves. 😉
August 23rd is the start of my part-time work life, so after this week, I just have six weeks left to go!
I can do this.
for some cooler temperatures
the terrible heat wave has passed, so it is not as beastly hot outside now. Thank goodness!
for my car
You guys, I still feel a happy little grin spreading over my face when I walk out to a parking lot or parking garage and see my car.
I still can't believe it's mine!
that dairy doesn't bother me
I was eating some yogurt the other day and thinking how happy I am that dairy doesn't bother my digestive system.
I hate drinking milk (blech) but I would miss so many other dairy products if I were lactose intolerant.
Like...CHEESE.
I'm glad I don't need to live a cheese-less life. 😉
for my good health
Working at a hospital is a constant reminder that good health and mobility are not to be taken for granted.
Sometimes, I've taken care of patients who can't walk because they got polio before the vaccine was available, and I think about how terrifying that time must have been for parents and children, and how thankful I am that my children and I were born after the vaccine was invented.
Random fact: the last known wild poliovirus case in the U.S. was in 1979, a year after I was born. But it still is endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and active in a number of other countries. And since we live in an era of travel, it can still spread. Here's an interesting site that lists polio-free countries along with those that have ongoing polio.
Also: apparently, the last living woman using an iron lung just passed away at the end of June this year. And this NBC article has a cute picture of her as a kid in the iron lung.
Woo. I really went on a tangent there. Ha. Long story short, I'm super glad that I can walk, and super grateful I didn't get polio!
for my little house
I know I say this all the time, but my goodness, I love my rental house. It is such a cozy spot for Zoe and me, and I love that it is in a peaceful little neighborhood.
Six weeks to go! I'm cheering you on, Kristen - you can do this!
Thankfuls:
1. I'm so thankful I finished paying back my parents. It took a while but steady payments got it done, and now I can use future money for savings. And, of course, I'm immensely thankful to my parents for loaning me the money and supporting me in the first place!
2. I'm in agreement with you about the polio vaccine, and vaccines in general. My grandparents lost numerous siblings to things such as measles, diphtheria and other illnesses we have mostly managed to eradicate or at least lower the risks of since developing vaccines.
3. I'm happy to be home for summer! There was a long queue at passport control but when I mentioned my flight was soon (we had only just got the gate information!), an officer let those of us on that flight into a different line. I am thankful to that officer, and thankful to be home now, catching up with my friends and family and cats!
4. I am thankful to my friend for letting me stay in her apartment and look after her cat. It was very pleasant, apart from when I accidentally set off the smoke alarm - also thankful it was only smoke from cooking and not a fire! It took a while for the cat to forgive me 😉 I also saw another friend and we went swimming nearby and enjoyed a thermos of tea afterwards 🙂
5. I'm thankful just to be home, sitting in the garden, enjoying the sunshine, drinking lemonade and reading my book! I am about to see my friend, and her cats, and it's just so lovely to be here.
Thankful:
-- That I could watch our street's annual July 4th morning parade from our deck as I was unable to walk in it this year. Neighbors, guests and kids come together to bike, walk, enjoy a fire truck, socialize, have pastries and juice at one house, coffee at another, and even a cocktail bar at another.
-- For a family get-together with my niece and her young family who are in town
-- For a difficult and sad conversation with my sister that ended well for both of us
-- For continued progress in physical therapy
-- For trees that did not come down during what seems like a daily run of scary storms
-- For electricity that stayed on, most importantly the AC!
Yay - you can cross something off your list!
Empty schedules* are much underrated. *Empty but for the recurring things, such as work, and household chores.
I've been feeling sad and down due to "the world" lately, but I will not dwell on that. I've been trying to focus on what I have to be thankful for. That is quite a lot, and there is much that has just fall into my lap, with no effort on my behalf.
My thankfuls this week:
-that temperatures are back to agreeable
-that I inherited low blood pressure from the maternal line, not the high blood pressure of the paternal line
-that I enjoy a clean house more than I abhor the cleaning
-that my garden and house plants are doing so well. I am beginning to think I have green thumbs
-that our kids have such supportive and solid friendships
-that I will meet with my cousins in a few weeks
I am thankful, every day, that I am retired. That I could retire. It’s been just over a year since I did, and I still count my blessings every day!
Now that you’re coming up on finishing your first year as a nurse, how are you feeling? They say the first year is the hardest…
I’m starting an ADN program Aug 24 at my local community college. Second career. And just started in a caregiver role for adults with disabilities. Nothing feels natural… yet. Give me some hope! (PS you’ve been such an inspiration for my journey so far. I see you doing all the things and it gives me a real life example to see it’s possible and that maybe I can do it too!)