Thankful Thursday | from blog to real life!

This week, I am thankful:

that I got to meet up with some readers!

Reader PD organized a little Mid-Atlantic meet-up, and ten of us got together at a park for lunch (one not pictured below volunteered to take the photo, since she didn’t want to be in it.)

She kept it so simple; we all brought our own food and drinks, so no one needed to plan or coordinate anything. Perfect.

And she brought some flowers from her yard to decorate the tables a bit.

We had very frugal name tags; PD had extra DVD/CD labels from back when we used such things (!!) and she brought them for use as name tags. Heh.

This was a group that could sincerely appreciate such an idea. 😉

that we had good weather for our meetup

I was imagining that this could be quite a sweaty get-together but amazingly enough, we had a low-humidity, not-super-hot day. I was so, so thankful!

for the connections my blog has made possible

As I was driving home from our meetup, I was reflecting on how grateful I feel for the blessings blogging has brought into my life. How neat is it that I type words on a screen and then I get to do things like meet up with people I’d never have come into contact with otherwise?

I love the way this blog has served to connect me with all of you, and also to connect you with each other.

Because I grew up in a no-internet era, I think I have a sense of awe that younger generations may not understand; when I sit back and think about it, I’m still a little dazed to realize that people from all over the globe gather here at my little URL.

In my childhood days, we never imagined such a thing was possible!

that I got a patient survey shoutout at work

In a staff email this week, the clinical supervisor included a patient survey response that named me and several other nurses and PCTs, saying this was her best hospital stay ever, and she felt like family. She said, “this group of employees truly embrace the art of nursing.”

I almost cried when I read this because the other techs and nurses in that group are such great people and they are so good at their jobs. It is an honor for this newbie to be lumped in with them!

for all the encouragement from my patients

I am still learning all the ins and outs of my job, of course, and I have a long way to go with my technical skills.

But my patients routinely tell me how much they appreciate my cheerful attitude and the kindness and energy I bring to their care. One of my patients, as he was being wheeled out, pointed back to me and said to the transport tech, “If I have to come back, I want that one.” Awww!

I never want anyone to have to be at the hospital, of course, but if they have to be there, I am at least glad to make their stays a little bit better.

I feel like I am making a difference in people’s lives, even if it is a teeny-tiny difference. And that feels so good! 

for encouragement and help from my co-workers

One of the young nurses (who graduated from my school) is super-duper nice when I am assigned to work with him. He cheerfully answers my questions, teaches me how to do things, and thanks me for my help with his patients.

I am gonna try my hardest to be like him when I am a nurse!

And multiple fellow techs have helped me out in various ways; I am so thankful. I got a super short training time before I got sent out on my own, so I routinely encounter tasks I haven’t been trained on.

I rarely need to be shown something twice, but the problem is that there seem to be endless new tasks to learn. Thank goodness for helpful coworkers!

for cat dryer balls

Zoe brought home a package of cat dryer balls and they make me smile every time I do laundry now. 😉

that I see growth in the face of criticism

I happened across something negative that someone on the internet had written about me and when I thought back to how that would have made me feel 10-15 years ago, I realized…I have grown.

Back then, I would have really taken it to heart, and I would have given in to the temptation to try to defend myself. But this time, it took me very little time to realize that trying to explain myself would be useless.

It’s ok if someone misunderstands me. It’s ok if I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.

So yay to my brain for some good growth!

for public parks

We had a couple of lovely evenings last weekend, so I drove to a nearby park to enjoy the sunset and the breeze from the water.

Isn’t it so nice that there are places where those of us who don’t live waterfront can still enjoy the views? I love public parks!

Your turn! What are you thankful for this week?