Path of gratitude

 Gratitude is a path that makes this journey a little easier. You can hike through the forest and still get to your destination, but a clear path is definitely a more pleasant way to enjoy the scenery.

Nursing during COVID was unpredictable, for nurses, standards and rules are important to maintain quality of care, you expected supplies to be there ready, and you had an idea of what to expect. Things changed sometimes by the hour and we were re-using masks when the standard was one use only and tossing out.

My husband's cancer during this time was scary, we didn't know when a vaccine was going to come and masks and isolation were the only reliable ways to protect him. 

Lots of self-help and motivational speakers, friends and family, were using tropes like “count your blessing” or “it could always be worse”

It seemed callous. Gratitude seemed like a luxury for people that werent a nurse during covid or had a loved one fighting terminal cancer. 

I learned over time that gratitude was a necessity rather than luxury. A good year into this while I was getting close to or while I was experiencing “burn out”, I found gratitude as a tool. My path through the woods. 

It is important not to negate or disregard your feelings. You deserve to feel that anger or disappointment or sadness. You are feeling it for a reason. Gratitude helps take the edge off.

Nursing was kicking butt and I was getting sores on my nose and behind my ears from the masks…  but, I am strong and healthy enough to be the caregiver and I am NOT the patient. This is hard but I'm doing this one day at a time.

His cancer is terminal. I'm not going to have him forever. I have now. Some people dont get the time to say I LOVE YOU because their loved ones died suddenly. This is painful, but I have time and I'm doing this one day at a time. 

Life during covid and cancer was a hard hike for me until I found a little gratitude.

Doesn't mean life won't still be hard, but it's a more pleasant journey.

One day at a time