A Life of Service

I had an interesting patient several weeks ago at work and have been thinking about it ever since. This woman was also a nurse, in her late 70s. When she first said she was a nurse, she said, "I loved every minute of it." We started talking and she started telling stories of her nursing career. When referencing one of her many jobs she would use the preface, "When I served as a (such and such) nurse." She had retired several times and was asked by clergy or others to come back into the nursing field to serve a need. Through this she learned several new types of nursing. Even now, in her late 70s, she's a hospice nurse.
I've thought about it a lot and it really hit home to me. So often I fall into my generation's entitled trap of, 'what's in it for me,' 'I really don't want to be here today', or even 'that's not my job.' This patient gave me a little big of fresh air, a reality check, and made me realize that a job should be more than a job. What I do at work and for my coworkers and patients actually means something, or can. Those mundane little tasks, when added together, form a life. When I'm in my late 70s, regardless of what "job" I have done throughout my life, I hope to be able to say, "when I served" and "I loved every minute of it."

Those were the days...

My family just got back from a trip to Boston to watch my older sis graduate with her PhD. It was an exciting trip and I really wanted to be there to support her but wasn't able to go. So, to stave off the jealousy of their trip, I'm finally posting my pics of Costa Rica. We went at the beginning of March and had a fantastic time.



This is canyoneering by Arenal volcano.

Our sweet ride up to the rapel areas

View of Arenal Lake from the volcano national park. M and Lou, JW and me.

Zipline over a valley in Monteverde.

On our drive to Arenal

On our drive to Manuel Antonio. One of the bigger towns with a school and soccer field.

I never got over how beautiful it was.

Manueal Antonio beach

Our Mangrove tour out of Manuel Antonio.

Our last day. We took a sailboat tour and ended up being the only ones on the boat. It was fantastic. We chased dolphins, ate seafood, and went snorkeling off the boat.

A sample of the wildlife.

There is a sloth there- look close and you can see its head. Below right is a boa.

One of these monkeys almost attacked M. It was really funny- for us.