How can I describe my life right now? Hectic, fluttering movement followed by periods of profound procrastination. A brief sense of motivation and accomplishment, followed by a prolonged sense of dread for the next item on my list. Papers, tests, days spent on hospital floors caring for Omaha's sick and recovering patients. And to top it off, a part-time weekend night job answering phones at a local hospital. Having a social life is next to impossible, as my free time is spent singing in the church choir and enjoying my husband's company. Friends are not available when I am, which can be frustrating when I need to talk to some female company. I do not enjoy talking on the phone or texting, which makes it harder to stay connected to the people that I love.
What makes a balanced life? This is a question that I know the answers to, but the answers are not so easy to put into practice. To start off the list, of course, would be time management. I've been told it's the key to success; although I'm a pretty poor time manager, I somehow (barely) get everything done. The other items on my list include eating well (yeah, right), drinking lots of water (who does?), sleeping, and exercising (ain't nobody got time for that!). I know that spending hours a day on websites such as Pinterest, Facebook, The Cheezburger Network, and Cracked will not help me get good grades, but when I find something that speaks to me, I click. And click. And keep on clicking. Until I've wasted four hours pinning the latest Christmas craft to my Inspiration Board and looking through memes and Grumpy Cat pictures.
I know how to succeed; I've been given the information. I have yet, however, to put it into practice. I've been told to get a planner and schedule study times like I would schedule a doctor's appointment. I've tried that. I've been told to put routines into place and follow them religiously. I don't know about you, but these plans DO NOT work for me. I know what I'd rather be doing; I'd rather be having Nerf gun fights with my husband, or watching TV with my friends, or being anything but a dutiful student. The thing that keeps me going in my two- and three-hour lectures is the fact that I NEED this information to take care of my patients. So, I do what I have to. I review the procedures. I look over the PowerPoints (so many PowerPoints) and read through the textbooks and test prep booklets to make sure I'm not missing anything. When all is said and done, it's not about what I learned; it's about sticking with something for four years and making sure that I have the one piece of paper that will guarantee my job prospects for the next 50 years of my working life.
My goal for this blog is not to bore you; rather, it is to share my experiences so that you, dear reader, may learn from them. Tune in next Wednesday, the 21st, for more reflections on life as a nursing student.
Yours truly,
Melanie E.
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