Journey of a Nurse

     I stared at the body in front of me. I saw a woman that was my hero in my eyes; healing from a quadruple bypass surgery of her heart. I looked into the wounds that healed and offered her a hand to comfort her. I never knew at the time that action would mold me into who I am now. I remember it like it was yesterday, we were playing the card game 'GO FISH' in the living room, eating ice cream at the parlor, and throwing the trash down the trash chute in the hallway. We enjoyed each other's company. I learned a lot from such a frail, stoic woman; my Grammy.

     It was yesterday that I remember the comment from my Grammy as she stared into my big brown eyes, "you are going to be a nurse one day." Me being my independent, stubborn self, stated "no!" At the time, I had 'higher hopes' of a future for myself so, I thought. Little did I know, that I could be only so fortunate to have such a wonderful career in the nursing field. My Grammy's words always stuck in the back of my head while I discovered myself in my twenties. I dabbled in becoming a veterinarian, a doctor, and a physical therapist, but my true passion and love for a career came from the nursing field. I owe a lot of thanks to a lot people, but my Grammy's words always stuck with me through it all. She was the first person to believe in me and help guide me to success.

     Sometimes, I forget what it is like to walk in the shoes of the chronically ill, faced with death. I have my health that I take for granted at times. Everyday at work I put my nurse's uniform on and hope to make a difference in one's life. I give 110% day in and day out. There's nothing more rewarding than making that simple difference in someone's life. Let it be as simple as taking the time to walk a patient to the bathroom or as complex as performing compressions on a cardiac arrest patient that I preserve everyone's dignity. No matter the level of care, everyone is human and I thank my Grammy for teaching and guiding me.

     As I embark on a new journey as a nurse, I know my Grammy is looking down on me with pride. I leave one chapter completed and enter into another chapter of my life. I am filled with excitement, pride, and fear. I know that what I am about to embark on is a dream come true to me. May we all find a hero among ourselves everyday.

Hello, Can you Hear me?

     As the holidays have come and gone and the New Year has begun, I reflect on how I coped with the holidays. This year when I struggled with eating disorder (E.D.) behaviors, I turned to music as therapy to help guide me through the moment. Music can be a great tool to guide you through everyday life. It helps express and symbolize your emotions to a particular song that relates to you and life. I utilized a tool in my toolbox of skills. I have participated in several groups, one of my most effective groups for my recovery was music therapy.

     Technically what is music therapy? http://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy
website helps explain music therapy in depth and provides resources too. But in a nutshell, a.k.a. my interpretation, it is a representation of your life and how a song relates to you. There is a component of symbolism. Music can be a representation of any emotion or experience that you are going through and touches you in an healthy manor. For example, I have chosen the song by ADELE, "HELLO" to contrast the thoughts and feelings I felt during the holidays. As you listen to the song what do the lyrics mean to you? How do you feel... sad, mad, happy, etc.

     The power of a song can ultimately be very emotional and inspirational. As I listen to Adele's song, I could relate in the sense that Adele's voice was E.D. trying to knock on my door and knock me off my road to recovery. But I've moved on with E.D. and refused to answer the call, despite E.D. trying to beg for my love and build upon my weaknesses, I prevailed on. Adele's last lyric states, "But it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore." That line left me feeling recovery is stronger and better. When I heard the song and listened to Adele's CD during the holidays, I refused to let E.D. knock down my door. I turned to music to stay inspired and focused on my road to recovery. Here is my draft to how music therapy related to my E.D.:

May all of you have a fabulous 2016. 

Happy New Year!!!

- A.N.T.