Being on the road, not working and simply traveling, I wonder what will become of my identity as a nurse and a health care provider. While I still introduce myself as a nurse, I begin to wonder to myself just what that means exactly. Am I a nurse because I think like one? Is it the tattered license in my wallet? Or is it the fourteen years of experience that simply make it so? Is my "nurseness" still intact when on sabbatical, or does it take a back seat to my basic humanity?
These days of living on the road with my wife and dog as peripatetic travelers is beginning to challenge even my own self-perception of who I really am. An enormous part of my identity has been wrapped up in being a nurse for more than a decade now, and as we embrace the open road and all it has to offer, that very identity is shaken to the core. Still, it's a comfort to have both a vocation and a calling that serve both my sense of identity and my ability to be economically stable.
For now, we travel the highways and byways of the United States, and I will eventually christen my work as a health and wellness coach, taking my work as a nurse to a new level of novelty and service. Til then, my "nurseness" is simply a state of mind!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Friday, November 06, 2009
When Calamity Strikes
Well, experience demonstrates again and again that even when one is "off duty" as a nurse or medical professional, one's training can kick into gear at any moment.
Today, I was placidly sitting in my cousin's living room with my laptop. Knowing that there were several roofers crawling around above our heads, some modicum of loud sounds was not unexpected. However, when a series of crashes occurred in a space of several seconds, I looked up to witness a body falling rapidly through space towards the ground past the window opposite the couch where I was seated.
With my wife yelling for help and my cousin calling 911, we ran to the back yard to find a roofer who had fallen from the second floor level, bouncing off of the roof of the dining room and the deck before landing on the ground.
It was quite a scene, and it was indeed gratifying to be able to quickly assess his injuries and level of consciousness, cajole him not to move a muscle, and determine that he could safely wait for the ambulance to arrive.
Luckily, he sustained no major injuries and was treated and released from the emergency room within several hours. Every time I respond to an event of this kind (like car accidents), I realize that I should really undergo a refresher course in First Aid and emergency medical response. However, my nursing assessment skills did indeed come in handy, and I was happy to be of service, however limited my abilities.
Photo by Mary Rives
Today, I was placidly sitting in my cousin's living room with my laptop. Knowing that there were several roofers crawling around above our heads, some modicum of loud sounds was not unexpected. However, when a series of crashes occurred in a space of several seconds, I looked up to witness a body falling rapidly through space towards the ground past the window opposite the couch where I was seated.
With my wife yelling for help and my cousin calling 911, we ran to the back yard to find a roofer who had fallen from the second floor level, bouncing off of the roof of the dining room and the deck before landing on the ground.
It was quite a scene, and it was indeed gratifying to be able to quickly assess his injuries and level of consciousness, cajole him not to move a muscle, and determine that he could safely wait for the ambulance to arrive.
Luckily, he sustained no major injuries and was treated and released from the emergency room within several hours. Every time I respond to an event of this kind (like car accidents), I realize that I should really undergo a refresher course in First Aid and emergency medical response. However, my nursing assessment skills did indeed come in handy, and I was happy to be of service, however limited my abilities.
Photo by Mary Rives
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Chemicals are Everywhere
How does one stay healthy while living in a world saturated with chemicals, especially when one is chemically sensitive? People walk around bathed in clouds of laundry detergent and dryer sheets, and the canaries among us---myself included---suffer the consequences.
Perfumes, scented candles, deodorants, laundry products, household cleaning products, the list goes on and on.
My wife and I are working hard to heal ourselves from chemical sensitivity, but when one of the best ways to heal is avoidance of the offending substances, we are challenged to find a way to truly save ourselves from the ill effects of exposure.
Still, we do not sequester ourselves, and we strike out into the world with hopes of healing, connection and community. There are many ways in which chemical sensitivity has limited our lives and negatively impacted our social connections, but now that we are traveling and living on the road, we simply put our best foot forward, hope for the best, protect ourselves as best we can, and consider ourselves lucky to have such freedom of movement and direction, sensitivities be damned!
Perfumes, scented candles, deodorants, laundry products, household cleaning products, the list goes on and on.
My wife and I are working hard to heal ourselves from chemical sensitivity, but when one of the best ways to heal is avoidance of the offending substances, we are challenged to find a way to truly save ourselves from the ill effects of exposure.
Still, we do not sequester ourselves, and we strike out into the world with hopes of healing, connection and community. There are many ways in which chemical sensitivity has limited our lives and negatively impacted our social connections, but now that we are traveling and living on the road, we simply put our best foot forward, hope for the best, protect ourselves as best we can, and consider ourselves lucky to have such freedom of movement and direction, sensitivities be damned!
Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Peripatetic Nurse is on the Road
Dear Readers,
My wife and I are now on the road, making our way down the East Coast towards the warmer weather. Our travel blog, Mary's and Keith's Excellent Adventure, is becoming increasingly robust with photos, videos and tales from the road.
Our new lifestyle poses many exciting challenges and novel experiences, one of which is health care. While we still have health insurance from my old job until November 30th, the next step will be securing (at least) minimal catastrophic coverage from that date forward, and then making sure we take very good care of ourselves while we travel. Good nutrition, exercise, high quality supplements and a plethora of fresh air are undoubtedly part of our personal health prescription.
I will be reporting on our health challenges and successes along the way, and hope to talk to other full-time RV'ers to see how they handle health on the road (although many full-timers are retired and relatively secure with Medicare coverage).
Stay tuned, and please visit our travel blog for further updates!
My wife and I are now on the road, making our way down the East Coast towards the warmer weather. Our travel blog, Mary's and Keith's Excellent Adventure, is becoming increasingly robust with photos, videos and tales from the road.
Our new lifestyle poses many exciting challenges and novel experiences, one of which is health care. While we still have health insurance from my old job until November 30th, the next step will be securing (at least) minimal catastrophic coverage from that date forward, and then making sure we take very good care of ourselves while we travel. Good nutrition, exercise, high quality supplements and a plethora of fresh air are undoubtedly part of our personal health prescription.
I will be reporting on our health challenges and successes along the way, and hope to talk to other full-time RV'ers to see how they handle health on the road (although many full-timers are retired and relatively secure with Medicare coverage).
Stay tuned, and please visit our travel blog for further updates!
Friday, October 30, 2009
A Hallowe'en Change of Shift
A thrilling edition of Change of Shift is up at Reality Rounds.....Enter if you dare.....
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Our Imprisoned Splendor
The following quote by Sogyal Rinpoche truly speaks to me right now:
"The quality of life in the realm of the gods may look superior to our own, yet the masters tell us that human life is infinitely more valuable. Why? Because of the very fact that we have the awareness and intelligence that are the raw materials for enlightenment, and because the very suffering that pervades this human realm is itself the spur to spiritual transformation.
"Pain, grief, loss, and ceaseless frustration of every kind are there for a very real and dramatic purpose: to wake us up, to enable, almost to force us to break out of the cycle of samsara and so release our imprisoned splendor."
What is this imprisoned splendor? Why do so many of us lose touch with it? When do we lose it and how do some regain it while others remain disconnected from it?
Life circumstance, trauma, socioeconomic hardship, immeasurable suffering---some individuals are born to lives which subject them to such hardship that they lose the wherewithal to connect with their birthright of ineffable joy. One need only consider countries littered with landmines, countries at war for generations, the disenfranchised, the destitute, the disdained. Suffering is everywhere.
So, when we personally have an opportunity to connect with our own imprisoned splendor and joy, do we jump at the chance to do so, or do we avoid the opportunity out of guilt or feelings of unworthiness? How much extra pain do we cause ourselves in the process as we deny ourselves the joy we deserve?
Yes, suffering is universal, and awakening from the grip of suffering is a privilege for which so few of us are grateful, and which even fewer of us readily embrace.
"The quality of life in the realm of the gods may look superior to our own, yet the masters tell us that human life is infinitely more valuable. Why? Because of the very fact that we have the awareness and intelligence that are the raw materials for enlightenment, and because the very suffering that pervades this human realm is itself the spur to spiritual transformation.
"Pain, grief, loss, and ceaseless frustration of every kind are there for a very real and dramatic purpose: to wake us up, to enable, almost to force us to break out of the cycle of samsara and so release our imprisoned splendor."
What is this imprisoned splendor? Why do so many of us lose touch with it? When do we lose it and how do some regain it while others remain disconnected from it?
Life circumstance, trauma, socioeconomic hardship, immeasurable suffering---some individuals are born to lives which subject them to such hardship that they lose the wherewithal to connect with their birthright of ineffable joy. One need only consider countries littered with landmines, countries at war for generations, the disenfranchised, the destitute, the disdained. Suffering is everywhere.
So, when we personally have an opportunity to connect with our own imprisoned splendor and joy, do we jump at the chance to do so, or do we avoid the opportunity out of guilt or feelings of unworthiness? How much extra pain do we cause ourselves in the process as we deny ourselves the joy we deserve?
Yes, suffering is universal, and awakening from the grip of suffering is a privilege for which so few of us are grateful, and which even fewer of us readily embrace.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Saying "Adios" to My Hispanic Mother
Yesterday, I visited an elderly woman for whom I served as visiting nurse about a decade ago, and with whom I have maintained a sweet connection for years. We have kept in touch throughout the years, and although I no longer work in the city where she lives (about 45 minutes south), we talk periodically and I visit when I can. I had already explained to her that my wife and I have sold our house and are going traveling for the foreseeable future, and the need for a last visit was too strong to ignore or postpone until it was too late.
A Puerto Rican woman about the same age as my mother, she likes to joke that she is my "Hispanic Mother", and for all intents and purposes, it's true. Obese and disabled, she keeps more than a dozen birds in various cages in her small apartment, and several of them are regularly perched on her shoulder (or on top of her head), eating sunflower seeds right from her lips. Her apartment is filled with knick-knacks (some of which I am guilty of giving her, I must admit), and our visit was punctuated with screams and applause as "The Price is Right" played loudly on the TV.
Although maintaining long-term relationships with former patients can be tricky in terms of personal boundaries, this friendship has been consistently special and it has only been occasionally burdensome to maintain. Our connection is intimate and sweet, and there was just no way I could leave the area without a proper "adios".
After an hour visit, we realized that it was time to say goodbye, and we hugged and kissed each other on the cheek repeatedly. After our second hug, both of our faces were wet with tears, and she held both my hands in hers as she gave me her abundant blessings for a long life, a joyful and wonderful journey with my wife and my dog, and she thanked me from the bottom of her heart for my friendship over the years.
I left the stuffy apartment and emerged into the bright October day, stopping under a resplendent tree bedecked in autumnal yellow. My heart was filled with love, tears streaming down my face, and I gave thanks for the heartfelt and soulful connections that being a nurse has provided me over the years.
As we prepare to leave this area where we've lived for seventeen years, there will be more tearful goodbyes. My "Hispanic Mother" is one who evoked very deep and bittersweet tears, and I have no doubt there will be more to come as we draw nearer to our very imminent departure.
A Puerto Rican woman about the same age as my mother, she likes to joke that she is my "Hispanic Mother", and for all intents and purposes, it's true. Obese and disabled, she keeps more than a dozen birds in various cages in her small apartment, and several of them are regularly perched on her shoulder (or on top of her head), eating sunflower seeds right from her lips. Her apartment is filled with knick-knacks (some of which I am guilty of giving her, I must admit), and our visit was punctuated with screams and applause as "The Price is Right" played loudly on the TV.
Although maintaining long-term relationships with former patients can be tricky in terms of personal boundaries, this friendship has been consistently special and it has only been occasionally burdensome to maintain. Our connection is intimate and sweet, and there was just no way I could leave the area without a proper "adios".
After an hour visit, we realized that it was time to say goodbye, and we hugged and kissed each other on the cheek repeatedly. After our second hug, both of our faces were wet with tears, and she held both my hands in hers as she gave me her abundant blessings for a long life, a joyful and wonderful journey with my wife and my dog, and she thanked me from the bottom of her heart for my friendship over the years.
I left the stuffy apartment and emerged into the bright October day, stopping under a resplendent tree bedecked in autumnal yellow. My heart was filled with love, tears streaming down my face, and I gave thanks for the heartfelt and soulful connections that being a nurse has provided me over the years.
As we prepare to leave this area where we've lived for seventeen years, there will be more tearful goodbyes. My "Hispanic Mother" is one who evoked very deep and bittersweet tears, and I have no doubt there will be more to come as we draw nearer to our very imminent departure.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Direction of Digital Doorway
Since I have left my position as a Public Health Nurse and am currently not employed as a nurse, the general direction of Digital Doorway's "editorial trajectory" is now in question. Whereas I have indeed for the most part focused on health, health care, nursing, and the occasional bits of Buddhism, spirituality and frivolity, I can now foresee---at least for the immediate future---that nursing, per se, will not necessarily continue to be the focus of my writing here.
As my wife and I embark on our cross-country sojourn and North American Laughter Yoga Tour in search of community, adventure, right livelihood and peace of mind, we will be writing about our process on our travel blog and writing about our Laughter Yoga experiences on our Laughter Yoga blog.
Taking all of these changes and peregrinations into consideration, Digital Doorway, therefore, will be the place where I will process my experience from yet another perspective---that of a nurse on sabbatical from nursing who is in the throes of launching a new business as a Health and Wellness Coach, offering Laughter Yoga as a Laughter Yoga Leader, and pursuing continuing work as a writer.
For those readers who are looking for pure nurse blogging here on Digital Doorway, you may be somewhat disappointed in the months to come. There are plenty of excellent nursing blogs bookmarked on the right-hand column here on DD, and I encourage you to read them regularly with great interest and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, I am interested to see how my writing unfolds as we launch our trip across the country and our worlds expand with life on the open American road.
When it comes to blogging, my "nurseness" is certainly a given, and that nursely lens does indeed inform how I see the world. However, as my wife and I begin to live full-time on the road for the foreseeable future, it remains to be seen how my non-nursely voices begin to make themselves known more strongly. I certainly hope that you, dear Reader, come along for the ride, and I welcome your comments and suggestions!
As my wife and I embark on our cross-country sojourn and North American Laughter Yoga Tour in search of community, adventure, right livelihood and peace of mind, we will be writing about our process on our travel blog and writing about our Laughter Yoga experiences on our Laughter Yoga blog.
Taking all of these changes and peregrinations into consideration, Digital Doorway, therefore, will be the place where I will process my experience from yet another perspective---that of a nurse on sabbatical from nursing who is in the throes of launching a new business as a Health and Wellness Coach, offering Laughter Yoga as a Laughter Yoga Leader, and pursuing continuing work as a writer.
For those readers who are looking for pure nurse blogging here on Digital Doorway, you may be somewhat disappointed in the months to come. There are plenty of excellent nursing blogs bookmarked on the right-hand column here on DD, and I encourage you to read them regularly with great interest and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, I am interested to see how my writing unfolds as we launch our trip across the country and our worlds expand with life on the open American road.
When it comes to blogging, my "nurseness" is certainly a given, and that nursely lens does indeed inform how I see the world. However, as my wife and I begin to live full-time on the road for the foreseeable future, it remains to be seen how my non-nursely voices begin to make themselves known more strongly. I certainly hope that you, dear Reader, come along for the ride, and I welcome your comments and suggestions!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Change of Shift, Direct From BlogWorld Expo!
Here is a link to the latest edition of Change of Shift, sent from the BlogWorld/NewMedia Expo in Las Vegas by none other than Change of Shift founder, Kim of Emergiblog.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Taking Leave...Again
Tomorrow is my last day at work. I am leaving behind the local health department, the furor over H1N1, my coworkers, my position as a Public Health Nurse, and the network of professional colleagues that I have created over the last 12 months. My work as a nurse is coming to a temporary close as my wife and I prepare to launch on a cross-country adventure with no fixed end date and the open road ahead of us.
I am so impressed with my public health colleagues, the local school department, and all of the people with whom I have been so lucky to collaborate. H1N1 has been a rallying cry for many disparate entities in towns, schools, and cities across the country and around the world, and the collaborative nature of many of these relationships underscores how professionals from very different areas of expertise and education can work together for a common cause.
I am excited and nervous about how this next stage of life will develop as my wife and I take our Laughter Yoga business on the road and I launch a new professional pursuit as a health and wellness coach. Please stay tuned for updates as I build my new website and officially begin work as a coach, while Digital Doorway continues to be a place where I share my ideas, adventures and thoughts along the way.
I am so impressed with my public health colleagues, the local school department, and all of the people with whom I have been so lucky to collaborate. H1N1 has been a rallying cry for many disparate entities in towns, schools, and cities across the country and around the world, and the collaborative nature of many of these relationships underscores how professionals from very different areas of expertise and education can work together for a common cause.
I am excited and nervous about how this next stage of life will develop as my wife and I take our Laughter Yoga business on the road and I launch a new professional pursuit as a health and wellness coach. Please stay tuned for updates as I build my new website and officially begin work as a coach, while Digital Doorway continues to be a place where I share my ideas, adventures and thoughts along the way.
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