Thankful Thursday | to see is a gift

This week, I am thankful:

for the gift of sight

This week, I was sitting at my desk, looking out at the grass and trees, under the sunny sky, and I thought about what a gift it is to see.

So often I take it for granted, but how amazing is it that our eyes can take in a scene and then our brains can translate it into something meaningful??

Isn't it also amazing how quickly all of this happens? And how our eyes adjust to different levels of light without us doing a thing?

What a gift it is to have eyes that work.

(Even if they DO need serious correction, like mine. Ha.)

that my car uses so little gas

Everytime I fill up, I'm like, "ohhhhhh, yeah." This was a good time to buy a hybrid. 😉

that my meeting outcome seems promising

I met with my CNO (chief nursing officer) to discuss the once-a-year availability of BSN raises, and she understood my points. Yay!

She's promised to work to make raises available both in January and in June (to catch December and May graduates), and I'm crossing my fingers this will happen before I graduate next May.

(My nursing buddy Brittany is also graduating then, so we are both crossing fingers!)

I felt heard and acknowledged, and I feel hopeful that this will actually change. Time will tell.

But I also feel proud of myself for taking this step to advocate both for myself and for my peers; if this change goes through, it will help many nurses throughout the hospital.

that I see growth in my "speak-up!" muscle

I spoke up about the BSN policy at work this week, of course, but also, there have been multiple things wrong in my current BSN program (wrong dates, missing assignment links, missing instructions, etc.) and I have been taking the initiative to let the instructors know so they can fix it.

Also, we were all leaving questions on the Course Q&A board (which says the professor will read every 24 hours), and no one was responding. So, I emailed the professor, and apparently she didn't even know this board existed.

I notice that it seems like everyone thinks, "Someone else will probably report that/take care of it." but often, that is not actually true. And I know this because when I address the issue, it becomes clear that no one else has even brought it up.

I have not always been bold enough to speak up about things (it's not my natural tendency!), so I am happy and grateful to see some growth in this area. I am finding my voice. 🙂

for Chiquita's funny short legs

Chiquita is built kind of like a Corgi, which is honestly part of why she is so cute.

Every time I look at this picture, I giggle a little.

for some insanely gorgeous weather

After a string of wet and muggy days, we have been blessed with a streak of low-humidity, cool, sunny days, and I am in HEAVEN.

I would like to order weather such as this every day all year, please and thank you.

for some days off during the nice weather

I did spend some of these nice days at the hospital, admiring the sunshine through the windows, but I also had several days off.

I even got to visit my sunset park, and it was chilly enough to require a sweatshirt. I was thrilled. 😉

for the way that most patients are respectful and appreciative

Sometimes, this is not the case, but honestly, most of the time my patients are responsive to the care I give them, and they are generally appreciative. Also, most people are respectful.

I had an exception the other day, and it reminded me how grateful I am that it is an exception and not the rule.

I give proper care to everyone, of course, but it is a whole lot more fun to do that when the patient is being respectful and appropriate. 🙂

What are you thankful for this week?