I have tried to start this silly post countless times. I was going to devote an entry to my time spent with friends in South Africa immediately after I left the ship. Then I was going to share stories of what it was like being home and seeing my family. Before I knew it, summer was coming to an end and I had taken my next travel nursing assignment. It was hard to believe that my experiences as a travel nurse here in the United States would be viewed with as much interest as those that I had in Africa. So I put this blog on the back burner for a while.
Then it was November, I thought maybe I could whip up something around the time of my birthday. It was a new year, so maybe a new entry. The ship had just arrived to its new destination in Madagascar. Friends I had met more than six months prior were laminating facebook with posts about going back to Mercy Ships. Screening days were being planned and surgeries scheduled. I was headed into work. I just couldn't quite muster anything up.
Christmas was the next big event on the calendar. But instead of recognizing what Christmas was about, and reminiscing of past holidays with my family or thinking about the countless traditions that were being celebrated on the ship, I allowed myself to be preoccupied with the inconveniences I was facing with my new assignment. Thankfully things have since smoothed over and my visit home was just what I needed. Spending time with my family for the holiday was long overdue and as exciting, chaotic, refreshing, and tiring as always. Again, just what I needed. I was reminded of my one dollar joys - they exist in America just as they do in Africa.
So even though I won't be writing about visiting orphanages in Congo or sharing patient stories from another continent, I can still let you in on my most recent experiences. I've realized that it's up to me to decide how much joy is received, and just maybe I can begin to focus on my experiences rather than the silly inconveniences that I often allow to take over.
