As I get on Facebook (let’s not lie to ourselves, we all
spend an inordinate amount of time there), I’m noticing (duh) that so many of
my friends are graduating college this year.
And what I would like to know is where the time has gone. I remember my awkward, geeky high school days
(okay, so I haven’t actually outgrown those yet) where I wanted so badly to be
“grown up,” and to be done with college, have my degree, and be making, what I
perceived to be, lots of money. Now I
look back and realize how quickly time has passed and how much has changed.
Yes, I got my degree – still can’t believe it has been a
year – and I have my “big girl” job, but I have found that being a so-called
“grown up” isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. You know those things our parents get in the
mail that we used to just throw on the table for them to look at? I call those bills, and now I pay them. Boooo!
Oh, and remember how our moms and dads used to deal with insurance
headaches, car repairs, and other such pleasantries? Now I get to deal with them, which, for the
record, isn’t more fun than most things.
However, here’s what else I’ve learned…
1)
The best things in life come to those who work
hard. College wasn’t easy; nursing school
kicked my butt on a daily basis, but now I get to take care of possibly the
best group of patients there is, our “wounded warriors,” as we refer to them
here at LRMC.
2)
Being away from home does suck, but you know
what else it does? It teaches you not to
take your family for granted; it makes you realize that your pesky little
sister may not be all that pesky anymore, and that maybe, just maybe, you
actually do like her.
3)
Your best friends will always be your best
friends, no matter how many thousands of miles separate you. You know that you can pick up the phone to
call them, and even if you haven’t talked for months, you’ll pick up right
where you left off without a single awkward pause.
4)
Pets remember their people’s voices, even when
they haven’t seen them in seven months, so when you go home, don’t worry, your
animal will remember you… although he or she might also shun you temporarily
for your betrayal.
5)
You can accomplish anything you set your mind
to. Doubting that you’d ever be able to
get into medical school was a sad assumption; you are smart enough and you
actually did end up with the grades for it.
You also realized though, that in nursing you really get to leave a
mark, you get to know your patients on a different level than anyone else.
6)
Oh, and you actually can cook… if you have
patience (working on it), and persistence.
So in lieu of everyone graduating and preparing to go be
“grown ups,” I just want to say that although parts of this past year have been
rough, and there have been times where I wished I could do a Harry Pothead and
apparate back home, I wouldn’t change it, and in another year, who knows what
will happen, maybe I’ll be putting in my med school application… Ha ha ha! Gotcha!
But seriously, I might be going through school withdrawals; Nurse
Practitioner school is continuing to look progressively better… Who knows what
tomorrow will bring…
