Good question ....

It never fails. Whenever someone finds out what I do they inevitably ask, "Why did you want to be a nurse?". 'Good question' is usually what I end up saying. But the truth is - sometimes I sit back and wonder myself how I ended up here. Why did I chose a job that would make me witness to some of the saddest, most horrific moments of a person's life? A job that requires me to do shiftwork, which research shows shortens a person's lifespan? A job that requires me to handle medications, such as chemo, that if I get too much on me, could give me cancer? Good question.

I didn't always want to be a nurse. Up until I was 14 I wanted to be a teacher. An elementary school teacher. Then my grandfather had a stroke. I spent that whole summer visiting him. Everyday my mom and I would head over to see him. I fell in love with the hospital. Sounds weird I know. But I really did. I was fascinated with the equipment. I was amazed at how the doctors and nurses cared for the patients around me. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to be a doctor.

I could go on for awhile about why I'm not a doctor. But the short version is - I didn't get in. I applied to medical school a couple of times, interviewed, got short listed and then didn't get in. Don't feel bad for me. Please. I truly believe things in life happen for a reason. I wasn't meant to be a doctor. I was meant to be a nurse. You see doctors are removed from patients. Nurses are side by side. Taking every step with the patient. We're the ones applying the cold facecloth on the febrile patient. The one holding the hand of the crying, fearful patient. The one hugging the husband who just lost his wife of 66 years. My life directed me to nursing for a reason. To be there for others. Cheesy? I know it is. But it's true.

So here I sit on a nightshift - shortening my lifespan. But hopefully I'm also making a difference in a few people's lives at the same time.

Kindergarten Graduation

My niece is 4 years old going on 20. She graduated from Kindergarten. Next year she goes to 'big school'. She was so excited on her graduation day. She planned her own party, mirroring it from her brother's first communion just a few weeks ago. She even sent my sister to change her shoes because they weren't as fancy as the ones she wore to the first communion. Hilarious. This girl knows her shoes.

Seeing all the kids at the graduation made me think of being a kid. They are so innocent. So carefree. No bills. No debt. No work. Just a little bit of school and a lot of play. Would I want to go back and grow up all over again? Not so much. Too many bumps along the way. Heartache that I barely survived the first time around. No, I'm quite content being 33 and married to my best friend. Life is good. Besides ... we can all be kids once in awhile. Especially when you're married to my hubby ... the biggest kid around.

So what exactly did they do before TV?

My husband and I decided to disconnect our cable. We decided to do this for many reasons. One of the reasons of course is cost. It seems that you can’t get a simple TV package anymore. With us trying to plan a family we decided we should cut corners wherever we could. Another reason was how often we watched TV. I certainly watch more than him. With shift work I’m often at home, by myself, during the days. How could I not get sucked into The View, General Hospital, and everything on TLC??? And our evenings were often spent in front of the boob-tube. With our waists ever expanding, our wallets ever depleting and our minds being bombarded with mindless reality shows, we decided to cut the cable.

So here I am on Day 3 of no cable and the worst of the worst has happened. My internet is down. I’m actually composing this on Microsoft Word and will cut and paste when it’s back up and running. The guy from Bell is here now trying to fix it. With no TV AND no cable – you’d think I’d be pretty productive. Right? Well .... let’s just say I now realize I procrastinate with anything. Leafing through a Women’s Health magazine took a large part of the morning. I did however make homemade rolls for the hubby. And I did the dishes. Can I add showered to my list?

Mostly I’ve just been sitting in the silence. To be honest, it’s not that bad. I do enjoy the quiet. Although a little background music would be nice. Maybe I’ll break out the mp3 player and the speakers.

So we’ll see how this great cable-free experiment goes. We’re going to try and do it all summer and connect again when the new shows arrive in the fall. But who knows, maybe life without TV will get interesting??? They did seem to have a lot more kids back in the day ;-)