This week, I am thankful:
for how beautiful the weather has been
It has been delightfully cool and not-humid here. SO LOVELY.
I know next week’s forecast is full of humidity (boo!), but this week has just been perfectly wonderful.
In fact, I have not driven to class once this week; it’s been nice enough for me to walk and not show up at class dripping with sweat. 😉
that I got an A on my first exam
Last semester, my grade on the first exam in med-surg was the lowest I’ve ever gotten in college.
Soooo, I was a little skeered for the first one this semester (mental health/med-surg 2). But it wasn’t as hard as I expected, so I got just a few wrong. Yay!
It’s verrrry nice to not start the semester out in the hole this time.
for my clinical group friends
We get put into different groupings for clinical each semester, and I like the way it helps me get to know a new group of people really well.
And it’s nice to have a little group chat so we can text each other if we have questions or we want to commiserate about things like the nursing school workload.
that we have more time to prep for exam #2
Our exams are every two weeks like clockwork, so we don’t technically have more time to study for exam #2.
But it feels like we have more time because during the first two weeks we had orientation, the math exam, and competency testing, and three labs, plus all the lectures.
This time around, there’s less of all that extra stuff going on, and I think that’s gonna make it easier to keep up with studying!
for a solid anatomy and physiology background
Blood-tracing assignments from anatomy
I know I have said this over and over, but I am so grateful for my two great anatomy and physiology classes. I worked hard in those classes, yes, but I also had two very good professors, and so a lot of my A&P knowledge has stuck in my head even three years later.
I use the info from those classes all the time in nursing school as I’m trying to think through disease processes and treatments.
I will never, ever understand why people think those classes are a waste of time as a prereq!
that it’s easy for me to chat with new people
My mental health rotation has made me especially thankful that I have a chatty personality because a lot of what we do involves just having conversations with people.
I really enjoy sitting with patients, asking them questions, and getting to learn about them!
for the way my Hungry Harvest boxes make me eat more produce
Since these boxes arrive every two weeks without fail, my fridge is always stocked with some kind of produce, even on weeks when I don’t get to the grocery store.
asparagus soup, which I made to use up Hungry Harvest asparagus
This means I eat a lot more produce than I would otherwise, and as we’ve already talked about, eating more produce is an almost universally-agreed-upon way to improve your diet.
(I know the carnivore diet people would disagree, but they are a minority.)
Someone asked in the comments recently if I track things like vitamins and minerals and the answer is…nope! I just eat produce with every meal and often in between meals too, and I figure that has me properly covered.
for the beauty in each season
Fall colors haven’t really started to show up yet, but they’re coming! And in the meantime, there are beautiful late-summer things to see.
Martha O.
Thursday 12th of September 2024
I’m thankful for beautiful weather, daily walks, dance outings with my husband and a concert to attend tonight ( we’re both really looking forward to this concert!!)! I thankful for some good conversations with my daughter lately. She still lives with us but isn’t home very often these days. I’m thankful for good books, good friends and an upcoming getaway with my husband. I’m grateful to anyone going into the medical field ( thank you, Kristen!). Yesterday I had a small medical emergency that needed attention from someone at our local clinic. The nurse and Dr were so kind and supportive and respectful of this older lady ( me) and they put me at ease with their attitude and skill. There’s so much more for which I’m thankful but that’s probably enough for now.
Chrissy
Thursday 12th of September 2024
Thankful for safety in driving two hundred miles round trip x2 last week/weekend for family traditional get together. And for little jaunts in between while staying in that location. The family time was iffy d/t the malcontent of two of the parties involved. I enjoyed time with my nieces and nephews. I am blessed to find joy in many things in spite of other's unhappiness. I spotted a vegetable garden that made use of the small yard in the city and a flower garden that was an oasis to pollinators. I enjoyed the yellow sunflowers and multitude of roadside grasses while driving. And I like looking at the crops becoming ready for harvest. Thankful for oral treatment for fleas. Molly had been miserable and so had I because of her issues. She had a great time at her "motel" this weekend and seemed to miss the camaraderie of her "frens" once she came home. I am also thankful for her time at the "spa" this morning. She did not have as much extra hair as usual but I know she feels better. I can cut her nails but she likes the process better at the groomer. It is worth every penny. Plus she's such a social diva in spite of or because of her mixed pedigree. I am thankful for my garden with okra, eggplant, tomatoes, and herbs. Also my Misfit Box with more produce and fruit and mushrooms. I also eat healthier because of my garden and the box.
Angie
Thursday 12th of September 2024
1. For my job that allows me to take paid leave to care for my husband as he goes through another surgery to remove cancer from his body. There can be no value placed on this peace of mind. 2. For the way that cancer, even though it sucks, has brought us closer together, made family time more precious and just delivered perspective in so many areas. 3. For energy drinks and coffee cause this girl is struggling to sleep with all that is going on in life right now. In that same way I am thankful for my crockpot, one pot meals and anything else that makes keeping my family fed with healthy meals easier. 4. Faith. Prayer. Worship. Tears. Journaling. Therapy. Workouts. And anything else that helps me get the emotional sludge out of me in a healthy, cathartic way. Suffice to say I am not eating my feelings which is very typical of me historically and in that I feel very good. Do I want to eat a sheet cake? Yes of course I do. But a wild realization that it really won't make anything better is sitting on me and I can only credit that to my health journey. This fact alone makes every drop of sweat and every muscle pain worthwhile. 5. For my dear husband who is so terrified but is hanging on by his fingernails and clinging to his faith and his family with everything he has got.
Allison
Thursday 12th of September 2024
@Angie, As someone who has gone through cancer surgery and treatment, I know the fear your husband is going through. But having a loving wife like yourself and having his faith and family's love will go a long way in making this journey easier. I wish all of you the very best as you navigate this difficult path.
JD
Thursday 12th of September 2024
@Angie,
Blessings on you and your family as you all walk this difficult path.
Karen A.
Thursday 12th of September 2024
The lower humidity is a blessing! The mornings have been relatively cool, nicer for walks. Eventually it will be in the 70s...eventually....
I'm thankful for a good bike ride yesterday. DH rides to work (20 miles roundtrip) and the first leg of his route is same as mine to the library, so we biked to the station together, took a break and then I headed off to my errands and he headed up to work. It was nice to spend some extra time together on what is a long work day for him.
I'm thankful for DH's MacGyver skills! My back tire was completely flat, and after making sure it wasn't a valve issue, he said he'd take it to the bike store to get it replaced. Then yesterday early morning I heard him in the garage, and I just knew he was figuring out how to fix the tire. Sure enough, he found that the tires on our old three-wheel bicycle are practically the same as our bike tires. He watched a YouTube video that suggested using a special tool to remove the old tire, but figured out how to do it with a ruler and a screwdriver instead. He popped the "new" innertube in there, and my bike was good to go.
Thankful for overall good health, and for ibuprofen when my stupid ankle acts up. ;)
A. Marie
Thursday 12th of September 2024
Thankful, as Kristen is, for dry and pleasant weather now (and for the next week or so, according to the 10-day forecast). I'm looking forward to some garden cleanup--and to some processing of my dried herbs, since dry weather is best for this. When you dry herbs in bunches in the attic, as I do, the process is relative-humidity-dependent.
And thankful that I've played a small role in getting my city council to consider a pilot program for deer control in our area. I'm keeping fingers crossed that the council approves both the program and the funding for it. But we are absolutely up to here in deer (my total count for the month of August was 91!!), and we absolutely gotta do something.
JD
Thursday 12th of September 2024
@A. Marie,
That's a lot of deer. May we ask what the pilot program may be? Congratulations on getting heard by the council. That can be hard to do.