I can just feel Spring in the air! I am practically itching for warmer weather and longer days, and the return of capris and flip-flops. As a Southern girl at heart, I still can't quite get used to freezing cold weather in March! Sunny days can certainly be a tease in this part of the country, with strong winds and bitterly cold temperatures. I began to slowly transition back to work last week and continue to work only part-time this week. Despite the immense toll it takes on my body and the physical challenges to having to adjust to being on my feet again, I can certainly say that sweet little toddlers, even when they are sniffly, coughing, running fevers, and probably oozing contagious illnesses, tend to warm the heart and lift the spirit. Isn't it funny how some young children can be very sick, sick enough to warrant a trip to the Emergency Department, and yet still smile, laugh, and want to play with a large assortment of toys? At the hospital I work at, each individual room in the Emergency Department is closed in with a sliding glass door. One of my favorite ways to introduce myself to a perhaps somewhat shy little patient is to kneel down in the front of the door, knock on it, peek out from behind the curtain, or sometimes pretend to ring a doorbell. I try to ignore the strange looks from doctors passing by as I try out a variety of doorbell ringing sounds. For most of our littlest patients, this is quite hysterical, almost as funny as me taking my hospital phone out of my pocket and pretending to call them. I have recently been given the opportunity to create a mentoring experience for a first-year pediatric resident to give her several weeks in the life of a Child Life Specialist! She will be armed with bubbles, teaching dolls, books, and stickers, rather than stethoscopes, tongue depressors, and syringes. I am hoping that our smallest of teachers can give her a better understanding of what being a child in the hospital is really about. Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I navigate a physically difficult return to work and continue to make decisions for my future that will benefit me both personally and professionally.
I read something this week that really struck a chord with me. Being "healthy" has nothing at all to do with being "well." I think each of us has our own picture of what "healthy" entails, whether that is a certain type of diet, body type, or absence of a chronic illness such as diabetes, asthma, or migraine headaches. If we each were to imagine that we had everything checked off on a list that allowed us to be completely healthy, would we still consider ourselves well? Are we willing to sacrifice any of our own internal wellness to achieve complete physical health? For me, one of the interesting things about facing chronic health concerns, is that I can feel myself begin to shift towards an ideal of a different type of health. Perhaps I can't "fix" what is wrong with my body now, or achieve an ideal sense of physical wellness, but I can work to create a more total sense of wellness, strengthening my relationship with God, being mindful of the substances that I choose to put into my body, increasing physical exercise, fostering interpersonal relationships with friends and families, and choosing emotional health by surrounding myself with positive words, thoughts, and actions. While I feel that my late-20's body has failed me in a sense, perhaps I can fall back on other aspects of wellness, and maybe someday they will over-compensate my physical limitations. I have so much more compassion than I ever did for people at any age who struggle with health concerns, especially when there is no direct prescription or cure for returning your body to the state it used to be in. Wow, doesn't that sound philosophical? For those of you blessed with excellent physical health, I hope you find wellness in other aspects of your life as well, and always follow the example of the young Emergency Department patient who chooses to sing, play, and giggle!
To my blog followers, wishing for you all this week a chance to engage with a young child, to be very very silly, to giggle and laugh, to play a game, and to sing songs. I can guarantee you it will be a far better stress-reliever than pizza, beer, or chocolate! Don't forget to turn your clocks forward this weekend. And finally, a special birthday shout-out to my favorite aunt! Until next time, speak kindly, sing loudly, and blessings to all you love in this world.
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