Second year BScN - one month in!

Yes, I'm still here.  Still in nursing school, still working on my fitness challenge, still a mom to three busy kids, still trying to somehow get a vague semblance of control over the chaos that was September 2012.

I am trying to get into our new routine and catch my breath. So much is going on, with so many extra-curricular activites, homework and assignments starting all at once, when school starts...for myself, my husband and our three kids!  At least the dog has her usual routine! (Yes, I am very grateful for the small things in life!!!)

I will write in much greater detail soon, I just need this one more weekend to catch up on so many things. For this year, I committed to being both a Brownie leader and a Sparks leader, with Girl Guides of Canada...what was I thinking????  I am sure (I hope!) that a new routine will emerge, and I will stop losing sleep thinking about all the stuff I still need to do.

Regarding my fitness challenge, I am very, very pleased to say that it is going full speed.  Honestly, I have never felt better.  I now run my "5 K a day" run, which I am now able to complete in under 40 minutes (I think 38 minutes is my personal best, so far).  The fact that I am running daily now astounds me completely.  I haven't run all year.  I just started this month.

A little over a month ago, physically I was the equivalent of a couch potato -- if one can be considered a couch potato without actually sitting on a couch!  Maybe "sedentary" is a better word -- I have a relatively active lifestyle given our family situation -- the kids keep us active -- but I wasn't doing any other activity as exercise.  I just moved when I had to.  Now I'm moving because I run every day.  And I love it.  I feel so incredibly good. 

I must say I owe the good, energizing feeling I get from running in helping me cope well with all the demands the past month has placed on me.

So even though my record keeping of my fitness challenge on my blog has faded, if I was keeping track, it would be a series of "5 km run" recorded daily...with a huge smile on my face.  What a feeling. :-)

If anyone is even remotely considering starting to be a little more active, or even start a project or hobby or even look into something they think they may find interesting -- just start.

And one final "poster" that brought a smile to my face:

Second year nursing school - starts today!

Well, technically, I went to a classroom yesterday, given that the schedule indicated yesterday as the start day...but that class actually starts a week from yesterday.  However, I wasn't the only one present, and had a chance to chat with a few classmates and meet new ones.

So here I am -- second year nursing school about to begin (for real!) later today.  What a difference a year makes!  This time last year, I was a nervous wreck. Well, only part of me was nervous about starting university classes again, this time as a (ahem!) "mature student".  The other part of me was in almost complete disbelief that I was actually starting nursing school classes.  That latter sensation partially lingered throughout the whole of first year, mostly due to the fact, that all the classes were lectures.  Had clinicals or some form of labs started first year, that vague feeling of disbelief of truly being in nursing school would have dissipated quickly.  I should also add that, typical for me, I worked at my job until the very last day before classes started, not leaving a bit of time to transition psychologically.  Live and learn.

Now, at the start of second year, my approach to nursing school is completely different.  I am looking forward to starting classes, to getting more credits completed to getting that BScN, and to getting out working again (6 more semesters --72 more weeks -- bring it on!).  I now know many of my classmates, I know that I am not the only non-18 year old in my classes, and I think this year I'll be getting to know even more of my classmates, as the labs start, and we're put in a situation where we have to interract more with random strangers who are our classmates. 

Last year I was so hung up about my age and being back in a first year university environment, especially after being in a professional workforce for so long.  But we have a diverse enough mix of students in the nursing class (like many nursing school classes, from what I've read about), that I don't feel overly old.  When doing my first degree, I remember vividly how the 'mature students' looked through my 18-year old eyes...so now I am keenly aware of how ancient I must look to them!  And to an 18-year old, anyone over 26 looked positively ancient.  I must admit that I truly don't feel my age at all.  I definitely don't feel like an 18 year old anymore, but more like I did in my late 20s-early 30s.  Maybe this is the 'young at heart' feeling I've heard about.  I'd certainly like to keep that feeling, attitude and approach to life forever!!!

But as I start second year, I know I'm not alone as a second-career nursing student.  I hope that the high school kids have had a year of exposure to university life, and realize that it's not a homogenous group like high school was.  It's called reality, and is a situation they'll be faced with for the rest of their lives.  And frankly, I fully realize that I'm not there to 'fit in' as I did when I was doing my first degree.  My reality and life experiences are completely different.  All I hope to achieve from the younger set is a mutual respect as classmates, to co-operate and work together, and possibly even have some fun while at it.

The nursing school reality will set it later this week.  I'm researching stethoscopes ("toys" are fun!) in order to buy one, and figuring out what scrubs and lab coats we'll need for this semester.  Yes, I am now truly a nursing student.  Yay!!!

My self-proclaimed fitness challenge is going exceedingly well.  I am really pleased with that accomplishment, and fully intend to continue it.  It completely amazes me that I am able, within the span of just under two weeks, to go from mostly sedentary to running 4 km in 32 minutes.  I started running gradually, didn't overdo it, nothing hurt, and I was able to keep upping the distance and time.  I feel great, and am thoroughly enjoying that so-called 'runners high' feeling, that keeps circulating for hours after a run.

I'm starting to think about setting some running goals, a 5 km race, in the coming couple months.  But more about that later!

Onward and upward -- here's to second year!!!

Future Nurse Kate

Fitness Challenge #1

This is where I will document the details of my first-ever tracked, publicly announced, personal fitness challenge. 

I am a great 'starter', always enjoy starting new things...finishing, not always so good.  I should clarify, that the 'biggies' in life, I definitely finish what I start.  It's the smaller projects, such as fitness challenges, new artistic projects, house decoration projects.  It's time to work on finishing what I start.

Three consecutive days have already been successfully completed...this is good...

I think this is a great time to start this, with second year nursing school just around the corner.  Another week and a bit of summer vacation.  By the time nursing classes, labs and clinical rotations start, this daily 30 minutes of movement will hopefully be starting to become a habit!

                                            (from the amazing collection at http://sweat-sparkles.tumblr.com/)

40 Day Fitness Challenge #1  August 26 - October 4, 2012
Goal: some form of exercise for 30 minutes every day, for 40 consecutive days

Day 1 (Aug. 26) : cycle (16 km, 60 min), swim (60 min)
Day 2 (Aug. 27) : run (20 min, 2.24 km), walk (20 min)
Day 3 (Aug. 28) : run (30 min, 3.36 km), cycle (15 minutes -- to the park & back)
Day 4 (Aug. 29) : power yoga (30 min, almost did me in!)
Day 5 (Aug. 30) : run (25 min, 3.01 km), swim (25 min)
Day 6 (Aug. 31) : run (20 min, 2.51 km)
Day 7 (Sept. 1) : power walk (35 min, 3.22 km)
Day 8 (Sept. 2) : run & power walk
Day 9 (Sept. 3) : run (4.02 km!!!), swim
Day 10 (Sept. 4): lots of walking, no actual 'work out', but lots of movement
Day 11 (Sept. 5): run (31 min, 4.13 km)
Day 12 (Sept. 6): run (31.30 min, 4.20 km)
Day 13 (Sept. 7): power walk
Day 14 (Sept. 8): ran a slow 5 km without stopping, in 44 min 47 sec! WAHOO!!!!!!!!

Getting back into fitness

I went for a 16 km bike ride yesterday, and managed to run 2 km today!  Gotta get moving again.

I. Feel. Great.

 

 

I am challenging myself to get fit. My goal is to do some form of exercise for 30 minutes every day for forty days.  Nothing complicated.  After forty days, it had better have become a habit!!!  

 

Follow my fitness challenge progress on the sidebar! (And thank you 'smilewithyourheart' for the sidebar idea!)



A different perspective on "having it all"

The scope of my blog is evolving.  I am evolving.  Everyone is (hopefully) evolving in at least some small way.  The primary focus remains on career change to nursing (second year starts up in a few short weeks!).  But changing careers, choosing to change careers to a completely new field, does not happen in a vacuum.

There are so many other factors involved in making the decision to leave a stable, successful career. There are so many considerations to think about, so many scenarios to imagine (good and scary!), and so many people who could be affected by such a change.  A change of this magnitude most certainly does not happen in a vacuum!

And this is why I need to branch out in my writing, to include these other considerations.  I have recently been reading several blogs I find to be very inspirational, for different reasons.  Hands Free Mama focuses on the importance of being present and not distracted by our BlackBerry when being a parent.  Smile With Your Heart (I hope the author starts writing again soon!!!), is very inspirational about healthy living, fitness, and community involvement.  Plus there is the bonus factor that the author is a nurse, and it shows me all the various volunteer  and travel opportunities nursing provides.  I am energized, motivated and simply feel better when I read these blogs.  (Links to both are in my blog's sidebar, and I hope to add more in the future.)

That is why I realized I need to evolve my blog, and include more positive, encouraging messages in my writing too. 

Ever since I became a mom, work/life balance has been at the forefront of my mind. I think being a nurse will definitely help improve this quest to gain balance, particularly if I end up working part-time (and picking up the odd extra shifts).

However, the mythical work-life balance dilemma is very much a reality in our society.  And I am certain it will continue to be a significant factor in our life, even with the career change.  As the children get older, their needs change and our roles adapt to their changing needs.  But the limited amount of time we have together does not change. 

The article I've chosen to highlight, represents a completely different perspective about priorities and what is truly 'important' in life. 

The author summed up this perspective beautifully, in the following sentence:

 

"We are chasing the wrong things, asking ourselves the wrong questions. It is not, "Can we have it all?" -- with "all" being some kind of undefined marker that shall forever be moved upwards out of reach just a little bit with each new blessing. We should ask instead, "Do we have enough?"

I hope you enjoy the article, and thinking about a different spin on what it means to have it all.

It made me realize I truly 'have it all', a million times over.  I have more than enough. I have so much I need to reach out and share with others. 

And I am, and always have been, regardless of my situation and station in life, extremely grateful.

Future Nurse Kate

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What My Son's Disabilities Taught Me About 'Having It All'

Marie Myung-Ok Lee | Jul 30, 2012

Because of her child's problems, the author will never have a tidy, peaceful life. But none of this keeps her from being happy -- as long as she asks herself the right questions.
The author on a walk with her son (Photo by Karl H. Jacoby)

A debate on career and family See full coverage

As someone in her 40s, unequivocally in middle age, I find myself and my friends in that stage of life that seems to auger constant assessment -- am I happy? Am I doing the right thing with my life?
Evidenced by the number of times Anne-Marie Slaughter's Atlantic piece "Why Women Still Can't Have It All" was posted on Facebook, it served as a cri de coeur of the collective unconscious of those of us swimming in the Gen X/Baby Boomer estuary, last stop before becoming truly elderly. (It's apparently also the most-read article in the magazine's 155-year history.) Slaughter rightly questions why having a family complicates the career ladder for women in a way that it does not for men. But the hidden heart of the article, I believe, is its hinting at that unspoken yearning for that perfect life that has been promised to us by ... someone? Ads? TV? Ms. Magazine? Those ATHLETA catalogs?

Let me compare and contrast that with a typical incident that happened just last week in my own 40-something working mother life. My husband and I were sitting in the office of a neuropsychologist who had just run an assessment on our 12-year-old son who has a variety of disabilities and medical problems.

While our friends worry about middle schools, we bring our son to the ER to get stitches after he puts his head through a window.

"You know cognitively, he's functioning at the bottom 1 percent of children his age," he said.

I nodded.

"That means 99 percent of children are doing better than he is."

I nodded again. (Yes, I can do the math.)

He waited, seemingly perplexed. "Having seen what I saw, and of course you have to be with your son all the time -- I have to ask you, how do you have the patience?"

I looked at him. He's my son. It was so obvious, I did not say it.

"I mean, really. How do you do it?" He looked to my husband, who gave him the same look. He tried a different tack: "Well, with all this stress, how are you two doing?"

"Fine," we said, and meant it. He handed us the thick report, still shaking his head.

This is, sadly, a very typical exchange, not just with the experts in our lives, but even close friends: How do we stand our hellish life with a child who functions at 1 percent and starts to bite and hit when he is in situations he doesn't understand -- often, multiple times a day? Once, watching our son having a hard time, a friend even blurted, "I'm so glad this didn't happen to us!"

While our friends worry about the quality of middle schools, our parental duties include bringing our son to the ER to get stitches after he puts his head through a window, then arranging for a window replacement and for a special treatment for all the glass in our house so it won't shatter -- at a pretty penny. Other friends declare, "I couldn't do what you do." If I am to conform to their expectations, I'm not sure what I am supposed to do: Beat my son? Kill myself? (Sadly, parents with kids like my son have done exactly that.)

Maybe it's my Buddhist outlook, but I'm not consumed with worry and frenzy and despair like I'm "supposed" to be. I don't enjoy that my 12-year-old son is still in diapers and sometimes purposely makes a mess in the bathroom. Or that he dumped his Thanksgiving dinner on my sister-in-law's pregnant belly. Or that he screams in the parking lot of Whole Foods until people call the cops on us. On the other hand, he is my son, and he is what I have. And he has a nice smile.

To read the entire article, please click here:  http://m.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/07/what-my-sons-disabilities-taught-me-about-having-it-all/260479/