Recently, I had a lovely patient who I had the privilege to take care of for a couple of days. The hospital has been crazy busy since the first of the year and it feels like the patients have been REALLY sick. I know...they are in the hospital, of course they aren't well. But sometimes you go through phases where the general needs are even greater than usual. The last month or so has felt harder - and it isn't just my post Christmas sugar slump.
The aforementioned (great word that I never get to use) patient was a delight - positive, kind and thoughtful. His needs weren't great but he seemed to appreciate the company whenever I would check in. I learned he enjoys woodworking in his spare time and we talked about his latest projects. I am not a woodworker myself but I have spent hundreds of dollars on tools and have been in Woodcraft more than most. I like to consider myself an honorary woodworker considering the amount of time Michael has spent in the shop. He might beg to differ since I don't often pick up a tool.
This gentleman's entire face lit up every time he talked about his projects. He LOVES woodworking. Maybe even as much as Michael. It was such a joy to talk to him about his passion. I love discovering what excites a person even if I don't share the same passion. Finding your thing is a big deal. For some people it is more than one thing. I can pretty passionately talk about nursing and coffee. I love both but won't admit which one more.
I was able to walk a few holes at a tournament this week with my kids' fun and super hardworking golf coach. He was telling me that although he loves playing golf, it is more rewarding for him to walk alongside the kids and support them while they play. He even got a little emotional talking about how excited he was for that tournament and seeing the kids out on the course for the first time in 2016. I am pretty certain that talking about golf has NEVER brought me to tears - unless you count the times when I was trying to play golf with Mason. But, HOW COOL that his coach has found his passion and it shows. How many people figure out what makes them passionate and then get to do it regularly? I mean, I get to drink coffee all the time but it took me until my 30's to figure out I was meant to be a nurse.
I think of my friends that are artists...Some of them have figured out a way to make a living practicing their art and some have incorporated art as a hobby. Either way, how impressive that they are making time for something they love. I can draw stick figures and my knowledge of art is limited. That's okay. Art is not what I am passionate about and I don't see that changing in the near future but I am so glad the artists are creating! I get to benefit from their passion.
This is what I hope for my kids. I hope they find their passion. For now, Mason's is golf. He likes other things too but the thing that he gets "jump up and down" excited about? Golf. He's always ready to play a round, doesn't complain about going and can talk about shots he made three years ago. If this continues to be his passion, I hope he either really does make it professionally (his dream) or at least figures out how to incorporate it in his every day life. We need things we are passionate about and we need to be encouraged to pursue them.
Audrey has a multitude of passions at the moment including the dog, her friends and, until about a week ago, One Direction (the breakup is still too fresh to talk about). I am not sure if she will find one thing that really gets her excited in the future or if it will be a multitude of things. Whatever it is, I hope I can encourage her in it. For now, I will go to work this weekend engaging in both of my passions simultaneously and try to discover what makes those around me tick.
I am not sure how this started...my "year of yes." I think it was around my birthday and I was with my friend, Karin, celebrating. She made last year her year of yes - which included a trip to Australia and a walking tour of the Bay of Fires in Tasmania. I am not sure my year will be quite so grand. But, I like the concept. She tried to spend the year embracing and being open to things she might not usually say yes to. We talked about it near my birthday and I decided why not? I feel like I am in a bit of a rut so maybe if I said yes to different opportunities I will be pleasantly surprised.
The idea has taken some time to wade through. I called Karin panicked a few weeks after my birthday and asked her to clarify what this all meant when I had turned down an offer and Michael questioned my ability to embrace my year. A definite introvert by nature, does this mean I should say yes to every social event that comes my way? I much prefer hanging out with a few people than a crowd. She assured me that being open to opportunities didn't mean that I had to change my core. I don't need to agree to every thing that comes my way - that sounds exhausting just thinking about it. See....an introvert. But, I need to spend more time considering opportunities that my gut reaction is to decline.
What has this looked like so far? An art class, signing up for another round of the Epic Relay this summer (my body already hurts thinking about it), changing my workout to do something besides running, picking up a book about introverts that I had stopped because sometimes introspection is hard, an overnight trip to the beach with my kids in December that included waving jumping in rain boots and joining a women's bible study from church (my kind of women - they meet at Starbucks and don't mind that I can only come half the time). All of these have been really great experiences.
You may look at my list and think all of them sound fun and like not much of a stretch, but for me, they are - some more than others. In the book Quiet by Susan Cain, I found a description of introverts that I feel is pretty accurate for me. "They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussion " (p. 11). My mom's a former English teacher so I have to cite my source.
So, the trick becomes merging my introverted tendencies with my desire for new opportunities. So far, it's been fun. I have enjoyed everything I said yes to more than I expected. I am not sure what the next several months will look like but I have a few ideas. I just got an email from Medical Teams International suggesting I finish the application I started to volunteer on an international team. Um.....okay? Mason thinks my year of yes should include some golf lessons. I think it will include more writing. I'm not sure but I am going to try to stay open ...and say yes.
