Month: August 2019

It’s on my mind…

Working at a sleep-away summer camp as a counselor, I learned a lot about gratitude. Being high in the Sierra Mountains, we had no cell phone service, so we learned to write notes. Like the “good old days,” right? Something that I noticed within the first week of working at this camp, was that the main purpose of writing notes to each other and to our campers was to express gratitude.

Gratitude for the person’s awesomeness. Gratitude for a helping hand. Gratitude for being real and honest. Gratitude for being a friend.

“You rock” rocks.

It sounds super cheesy, but the truth is, those notes of gratitude made my entire experience unforgettable and special.

AND, it wasn’t only getting these notes of gratitude that I remember, but also writing them! Writing down feelings of joy and thankfulness brought me more to the present moment. It made me grateful for the little things and helped me recognize them.

I notice now that I am away from that environment, that I lose track of the little things that I am grateful for.

So my “one thing” for today:

Practicing gratitude.

Today, I made sure to take notice the things I am grateful for in my little world, with a goal to be grateful for people I encounter as well. And here’s the list:

• Peaceful mornings
• Coffee
• Breakfast foods
• Lakes
• The chance to live near lakes
• Water activities
• Good books
• Self-care/Spa nights

The list goes on, but I won’t bother you with smaller details. Just writing this list down helped me be present today. I wasn’t at work, and I got to enjoy the place I live. I feel lucky for that, and I think that practicing the art of gratitude helped me realize how lucky I am! And to be honest, it was scary coming to the realization that I don’t notice it every single day.

In the future, I hope to write more letters to the people I love and tell them how grateful I am for their presence. Let’s brighten more days.

Cheers

Alright, it’s been one week since I’ve written, and yes I have done many new things! I’m thinking that I will lump them into one big post this week since time got away from me.

So here we go…

August 2nd: My best friend arrived from Colorado! It was the first time that I’ve had a friend, not family member, out to visit me in Idaho. She has also been my best friend for about fifteen years, so you could say we’re close. Getting to show her around my town and my new home was exciting and fresh, but it also reminded me how much I still need to put myself out there and make friends in my new home.

August 3rd: This day, it wasn’t me who did something new, but a friend, and her joy and excitement still has me giddy for my “do one thing” goal. PADDLE BOARDING. I bought myself a paddle board when I moved to Coeur d’Alene because I live a walk away from a gorgeous lake! My friend however, had never been before and was pretty scared to try. Not only did she go out far on the lake, but she stood up, didn’t fall in, and had a blast! Her experience completely reaffirmed my belief in doing one thing that scares you. Her confidence radiated after she paddled for the day, and her joy was absolutely overflowing.

August 4th: I am officially a Registered Nurse in the ICU, and this night was my first night ON MY OWN. I have been training for six months with a preceptor. Someone who was with me everyday helping answer my questions, show me protocols, check in with me, and push me to learn and be better everyday. This was an amazing experience, and I still have not fully wrapped my head around the fact that it’s done. But this night, I had my own two patients, made all my own decisions, and got to feel like the shift was my own accomplishment! I will say that I was nauseous and shaky all day prior, but the shift still turned out great. Here’s to the rest of my nursing career.

August 7th: Today. I realize that I did not write about every single day this past week, and while I’m sure I learned something new each of those days, I did not have any big, scary moments that I overcame. That is my future goal, and the reason for starting this blog, but I also think that it’s okay to start with small steps before you take the big ones. I also think that still working as a full time RN and living in a place that lets me be outside and go on adventures whenever I want, I am a busy girl! So it’s okay to live my life, while still being conscious about pushing myself and stepping outside of my comfort zone.

This evening, I am taking myself to a musical: Les Miserables. It is my all time favorite. Not only have I seen it professionally at least three times, but I was also in the production twice. My “do one thing” is giving myself time today to pamper myself, get fancy, and go do something I adore!

Next up: some thoughts on gratitude, but until then…

Cheers

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more.

This quote has recently inspired me to live a little larger; find passion; find purpose; be brave.

To add to my creative side, I’ve decided to start this blog. It’s a chance to voice my ideas and share the experiences I’ll be having as I, “do one thing.”

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