New Year, New View

"There's a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. Never look back, keep moving forward."

The Master Architect

I'm sitting here studying advanced physiology for graduate school on a Saturday. I fell in love with anatomy and physiology during my freshman year at BYU. I took my first anatomy class from Rachel Tomco and I believe that her passion for what she taught rubbed off onto me. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. It was so hard, but the funny thing is, I didn't realize it. I loved what I was learning. It was my favorite class. So much so, that I put myself through the interview process to become an anatomy TA and teach in the cadaver lab with all the extra time I didn't have. I miss it.

I'm excited to be studying it again but I'll admit that the thought of studying it at the advanced level makes me a bit nervous. BYU prepared me well for graduate school.  And I am learning and understanding so much more the more I study it. It's amazing how much our minds can absorb and the connections we can make. I get so excited about all the connections and all the possibliites. The more I learn about the body, the more I realize that there is still so much more I don't know. (Exciting and terrifying all at the same time). 

One of my favorite things to teach my students about was the heart and fetal circulation. Even in gaining our earthly bodies, the Lord was consistent in teaching us such beautiful things. For example, think about spiritual rebirth. It is common in scripture for the Lord to mention we need to have a change of heart, a contrite spirit, and to humble ourselves like little children. Did you know that when a baby is born and takes its first breath, its heart quite literally changes? It does! There are specific changes that occur in the foramen ovale, ductus arteriosis,and the ductus venosus that change the way blood circulates in the baby's body so that it is no longer dependent on its mother or her placenta for oxygen. This is also when the baby is able to use its own lungs and its own liver. When the Lord mentions to us in scripture that we must be born again, He could quite literally mean that we must have a "change of heart" and a new way of life! How cool is that?! 

I believe our bodies are incredible. I am in awe of our God, the Master Architect, and how He so carefully and purposely made every cell of our being to the finest detail; from the tiniest of molecules and how they interact, to the placement of our organs among our vessels-- He orchestrated our bodies into such masterpieces. Every organ and how it functions just blows my mind. It's detailed and brilliant beyond words. I can't even tell you all the things that spark a fire within me. There is so much to learn, to understand, and to know. 

I'm a nerd. I'll admit it. I love learning.

Tender Mercies (Part 11)

I've had the worst luck with friends in the past 2.5 decades of my life. I think that I'm pretty fiercely loyal when it comes to people I care about; and also codependent. The mix doesn't mesh well.

I've been doing a lot of self work that has required a lot of thinking, processing, and quite literal molding myself and my mind into who I want to be. The work is difficult, but it's incredible to look down from the mountain I've climbed and see the progress before my very eyes.

After all the heartache of losing friends, the emptiness of buying friends, the destructiveness of not aligning myself with the "right type of friends", and the never ending seeking for the approval of "friends",  I had just about given up. I told my therapist I didn't need anyone or want anyone in my life. I was just going to move to the middle of nowhere and live and be by myself where no one could hurt me and where I could hurt no one. I tried just flat out pushing everyone away because "being friends" was exhausting. Being around people was painful. And I stayed stuck in that mindset for an amount of time I'm embarrassed to admit. It took a while before I finally admitted to my own mistakes and misjudgments. I dusted myself off with my tail between my legs and got back to work. God must have noticed the effort I was pouring into my own development because somewhere along the road that same God decided to change it up.

In the midst of losing a friend that I thought was finally this ultimate friend-- I all so over-dramatically believed that life couldn't go on and that I absolutely couldn't catch a break. But God was already in the finest and most intricate parts of the fabric. When I look back at the work I invested in myself and the progress that I've made since what seemed like rock bottom, I cannot deny the hand of God in my life. He had an infinitely better plan all along.

And thus, this is how He is in all our lives: He is in every detail. 

Tender Mercies (Part 10)

Sometimes I wish I wasn't a nurse. I'm realizing it's happening more and more frequently.

I have been struggling to find a purpose in my profession. And I'd be lying if I told you I love going to work everyday. 

Maybe I'm burnt out. 

Maybe I'm just growing too accustomed to the hardships and heartbreak so many of my patients and their families experience. 

Being a nurse isn't always what I thought it would be. 

But some days God places pockets of peace throughout my shift. I am so quick to forget that He is always mindful of us. 

This little mister and I quickly became friends. I'm not sure if it was his attack hugs, shouting my name from down the hall, sneaking him strawberry ice cream to share with grandpa, or watching his eyes light up when he heard his heart beat through my stethoscope. 

But he stole my heart. 

Thanks for all the love little man! 

Friendship Chocolate

i broke yesterday.

I called my dad sobbing uncontrollably and told him I didn't want to be a nurse anymore. There's too much death. Too much suffering. Too many people who treat nurses like dirt. Every day I go to work is another family's worst nightmare. It's the day their nightmares become reality. It's most often the day their lives change forever, unexpectedly. 

I was feeling especially incompetent and frustrated. My patient who was completely capable of eating and taking medications was flat out refusing to do so. I spent most of my day coaxing him to eat, making him protein shakes to get some sort of caloric intake. I spoon fed him. I tried appetite stimulants.  I explained the reality of a feeding tube if he wouldn't increase his intake. Still, he'd pocket his pills like a chipmunk and spit them out. He refused food. He refused to cooperate period. 

I just don't understand. How can someone who is so capable just not care? I have patients dying to live in the neighboring rooms. And here he is playing possum with the nurse for two hours about taking medications. Here he is refusing care. 

I felt like a failure. I felt like a waste of time. 

But today was different. Today a little girl, that I have learned to love the past 21 days, came to visit her grand dad in the hospital. Her family and I have grown close over the course of his stay. And when her face lights up, I know why I chose to be a nurse. I know why I choose to put on my scrubs and come into work day after day, even when it's sad. Even when it's hard. Even when I think I can't take it anymore. Every day I show up to work I have the chance to make someone feel loved and important.  I remember how much of a difference I felt I made in that little girl's life when she visited her grand dad for the first time. The ICU is a scary place for an 8 year old little girl. We did everything we could think of to make the hospital a pleasant place to be. Even to the smallest details. Needless to say, she took it well. She was so excited to come back and visit her favorite nurse Jessie. 

Today that little girl offered me some chocolate. There were only two left after she had shared them with every nurse on the unit. And I took one, and she took the other. Now we have friendship chocolates. And when she eats these chocolates she'll remember her friend nurse Jessie, and when I eat them I'll think of her.

I taped it to my locker door.

And when I see it I'll remember the sunshine in her soul and how much love I felt for one little person. I'm so glad I'm a nurse, because I met her. 

Called To Serve

"I know you're going to love Guatemala and her people. Who knew my kid brother was willing to leave everything he knows: his home, family, friends, girlfriend, dog, car, adn all the comforts that come with it-- for the chance to teach others about our Savior, Jesus Christ, in a language he doesn't speak or understand in a foreign country 2000 miles away? The Lord will do great things through you, and you're going to have the opportunity to bless the lives of so many people. Guatemala is so lucky @colemvalentine. I love you and I am so proud of you for making this selfless and courageous decision. See you in two, Elder! #ElderValentine"

We Cry Too

We are human, and often times people think that we, as nurses, could never understand. But that's incorrect. We do this weekly, daily, sometimes multiple times a day.

Read Me

We shatter too. 

Little World Traveler

Met a new friend on the plane today that described flying between clouds as swimming through a milkshake. She said she never wanted to leave. Kids these days. 👏🏼😂

Wave of Change

Another wave of change is coming.
I've encountered plenty of waves now.
I know only this:
That waves will still keep coming,
and the water will still keep moving.
And nothing ever stays the same.

So love the people you're with a little bit more.
Breathe in deep and take it all in.
And when an opportunity arises, take it.
Because that wave may not come again. 

Disconnect

There is a darkness

In the stillness

Of disconnect.

Everyone and everything

Surrounding you

Connects

But you remain empty.

Purge

I did something good today and took a step in the right direction. I've had to let go of a friend.

It hurts because they said they'd never leave, yet here I am again, alone. It's better this way for both of us, I think. I've hurt over it. In fact, I've been through the five stages of grief over it. Over and over again. 

And today, instead of burning everything in their memory, I packed it all up into a little cardboard box and took the memories to the goodwill to be used by others who can find them useful. And maybe sending them to the goodwill instead of the fiery furnace will be good karma. And maybe, just maybe, I can start healing this wound in my chest; fill its God shape with God, and be at peace. 

31 Days of Gaditude

1. My Therapist.
2. Prayers, unanswered, yet to be answered, and answered all the same.
3. Dogs that love to be loved, and the Humane Society.
4. My college roomate reunions and Drive-In Movies.
5. The temple.
6. Used Book Stores
7. Tom and Chee Mac and Chee Grilled Cheese sandwiches. And people to share them with
8. Patients and families that appreicate the work I do
9. Noodle Dogs
10. Book Binding, Paper Stores, and Friends who teach you new things
11. My little brother.
12. Nashville skyline sunrises on the way to work
13. Spiced Scones Nature Wick Candles
14. Friends who spend the entire day in target with you
15. My Great Aunt and Uncle
16. The ability to change
17. Hugs
18. Being on call and not getting called in
19. J.K. Rowling
20. Sundays
21. Love Notes
22. My Dad
23. A good nights sleep
24. Love notes
25. Friendsgiving in Kentucky
26. Peppermint Bark
27. Benadryl
28. Long drives
29. Thunder Storms
30. Little Ladies who lose their cars in parking lots and hitch a ride with you to find them

A God Shaped Hole.

It's like she has died.

But she is not separate from me. I do not know where she starts and I end. She has become the twin attached to me. I depended on her to make me whole. My self concept and self esteem was defined by her. I was content when she was here and I had her approval. And now that there is this empty space, my anxiety is rising. I feel this intense need to fix it, to patch the hole in me, to salvage what might be left. This loneliness pervades my soul. I live in a shadow.

The distance is eye opening. The past six weeks have been operation after operation of surgically removing every trace of her from me. Without any anesthesia. Without any narcotics. Slowly, meticulously, and I'd like to say, carefully. They tear flesh from flesh, muscle from muscle, bone from bone. I know it's better to be cautious, but part of me wishes they'd just rip this bandaid off and get it over with. I am tender to the touch. I am bruised and sore. I am broken.

It started with a God shaped hole. But I did not fill it with God. I sought belonging and safety and found it. I shared too much of my load and I was trusted with hers too. I couldn't tell my own thoughts or emotions from hers. They were just a continuous flow. I mirrored her. Or she mirrored me. But now I am just myself. Just one. Just me. I thought I could build a home inside a person, but I know now that people are not homes.

I am panicked like a lost child.

It comes and goes-- the anxiety. I do not notice when I have fallen asleep. It races toward me like a train out of control. Every time I wake up I feel the train hit me again. As it pummels through me, it slows-- making sure I notice it is present; making sure I struggle. I feel the panic the white rabbit must feel, running late, counting train cars, and waiting for them to pass through my soul. It is excruciating. I am a restless soul. But I remind myself it is just my thoughts and feelings. I can sit with them and I can breathe.

Even my best coping skills cannot calm me. I have depended on her to shush my worries and be the calm one. Praying is all that works. I pray for my friend. I want her to be happy, to find the self she is searching for, to know I care about her. She is going through a Hell of her own, I'm sure. A Hell that in previous circumstances I would do anything and everything to protect her from. I am human, I know now that I cannot keep the people I care about from pain. It has helped me to remember the good things she has taught me, how safe I felt, and how much progress I have made. I am trying to believe that her opinion of me does not matter and that my self concept and esteem can exist without her approval. It is easier to move forward remembering the good. The more gratitude I feel towards her, the less anxiety I feel.

And one day I will heal. And I will fill this God shaped hole with God instead. 

Expecto Patronum

Some days I just cannot.

I cannot get out of bed, or get dressed, or make myself a bowl of oatmeal. Some days I am lucky to get just one of those things done.

I am not the Energizer Bunny; I am human and I get run down and warn out and spread thin.

I think sometimes people look at others and see their Pinterest Perfect lives and Instagram worthy photographs and think these people have all their shiz together. It ain't a fairytale, that's for dang sure.

Depression is ruthless; Even with the right medication. Even with a great support system. Even when you're doing a really fantastic job at caring for yourself and balancing multiple aspects of your life. Even when you're doing everything right.

I have known this darkness for years now. But it wasn't until recently that I accepted that I could not face it on my own. I've found the right combination of medication after much trial and error. I have found a God send of a therapist who has worked wonders with my stubborn and prideful self. But even still, the darkness comes around. I know how it moves, what it clings to, what it flees from. I've learned but I'm still learning. 
Gosh, there's still so much to learn.

Sometimes it just shows up uninvited and makes itself at home, wrapped around my shoulders. It's heavy, but it's a familiar heavy that blends in so well. Sometimes I don't even realize it has taken residence for days. And then the weight hits, hard and heavy and I end up how I did this morning. It stays well past its welcome, because it was never welcome to begin with. It's not so simple to send it on its "merry" way. Funny to think you could send a darkness like depression on its merry way. Ha. It's not like flipping a light switch on or off. It's changing all the time; clinging to this dark corner, fleeing from one enlightened one. There are always more corners to shed light on. It's a process. There is always progress.

Today I woke up and couldn't move.

I wasn't paralyzed. My body was physically fine.

Mentally, I was drowning. My limbs were lead. My head was deep under water.

I knew I needed to move. I told myself to move. But it took all my energy to do it.

I tried to stand up and slumped to the floor like clay off the pottery wheel.

Sludge.

It was like my body turned into a slug and I was lying there wondering where the hell I had got a hold of polyjuice potion. It wasn't graceful, but it wasn't a bloody mess either. I'm not sure the floor was much more comforting than my bed. It wasn't a carpet or a rug. It was just the cheap linoleum that looks like wood and hides dirt fairly well. Well, it hides it well until you think you've found solace with your cheek on a cold, hard wood floor that isn't clean. Then it doesn't hide anything so well. I wanted it to be comforting, but I am numb. I wanted the cold floor to heal my aching and hollow soul like an ice pack healed my childish bumps and bruises. I stared blankly at the baseboards across the room like a gas gauge on empty. In that moment, there was nothing and no one that could lift this weight from me. It just "demanded to be felt" like feelings so honestly do. I wanted someone or something to wrap its arms around me and tell me that it's okay to feel like this, and that it will get better. I know it's supposed to get better. It has to.

But I feel so ashamed.

The darkness creeps in and tells me I'm nothing. I'm worthless. I'm broken. I'm weak. I'm defective. I'm unloveable. I'm unwanted. I'm alone.

It taunts me and laughs when I question if there is really a single soul that cares.

It screams "Stay down. You've already lost."

It's easy to believe, when there's an elephant sitting on your chest.

In an LDS Conferemce talk, Jeffrey R Holland stated the following:

"In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive."

"So how do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love? Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said ... : “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.” Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead."

(You can read the whole address here)

There will be good days, and there will be days when I question my sanity. It's something I'll learn to manage and something, that one day, I hope to overcome. Even when I'm feeling depressed, God's love can still reach me. When I think I'm alone, I can be assured that I am not without Heaven's help. I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and for the peace and reassurance I can receive when I pray. I love the power in prayer. I know that the Lord hears our prayers and that He answers them. He may not always answer them how we think He ought to, but He will answer them in His own time, in His own way. I'm grateful for the blessings He grants me and for the people He places in my life. He is so patient with me. I know there are mountains to climb, but I'm so glad I'm climbing with Him.

*Depression affects 1 in 10 Americans and is more prevalent than you might realize. It is not something to be ashamed of. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, visit the Bring Change 2 Mind website for resources made available to you. If you or someone you know are in crisis, please visit Lifeline or call 1-800-273- TALK. The hotline is available 24/7 and is confidential. If you'd like to learn more about what Mormons believe, visit LDS.org.

Tender Mercies Part Nine

Love At First Sight

My girl, Patience, knew how much I wanted a turquoise bookcase so all my beloved books could have a home of their own (they currently live in boxes since the move). I introduced her to a store called Nadeau, and I've frequented the store the past two months, intent on purchasing the perfect bookcase. Shipment after shipment came-- but still, no sign of my inquiry. Well, when I returned from my much needed vacation, I was informed by a little bird that there was a bookcase calling my name. I drove to the store eager to see for myself and when I saw her, my soul could not part with her. She has since been adopted.

Thank goodness for thoughtful friends who love Nadeau as much as me. 

Coral Speaks

Did you know coral makes a popping sound? I snorkeled today and it was like the ocean was breathing-- a whole new world on the ocean floor and it made my heart so happy. 

Airport Thoughts

Traveling is one of my favorite things because it's a time where I can be quiet and contemplative. It makes me happy to get to the airport a little early and browse the book stands just in case I finish my own books, or I decide one of their books could be too much a part of my soul to part with. Books end up becoming dear friends, and I don't feel quite so alone.

Although I must say being alone suits me. There is no need to justify or compare. It's just me in my head-- which could be all sorts of hell, but sometimes if I'm lucky, it's not so hellish and is more like a chance to breathe. Although anxiety doesn't let me exist still and quiet for long, some of the times I'm most at peace are when I can just be quiet and bury myself in my books or stare out a window at the parts of the world I just pass by and never experience.

It sounds sad.

But it's not really. It's comforting being alone. No one can hurt you. No one can love you either.

I'm sure there's a balance in there somewhere and I'm just cleverly hopping from one end of the seesaw to the other. I'm a work in progress. I'll get there.

Sometimes I think about quitting my job to become a dish washer and dog trainer.
Today is one of those days.
It's one of those weeks, actually.
Sometimes I don't know why I chose to be a nurse, because it's nothing like I thought it'd be. 

The Pause

I feel like a semi colon describes this perfectly. Pause, and then action.