Coffee Shop Musings
It’s been awhile since I’ve written on OpenDiary, and I’m not entirely sure why. I love the website and lurk often, reading other posts and commenting when I feel that I have something meaningful to say in response. A part of me feels nosey doing this, and another part of me appreciates that we can all gather here to share our personal renditions of the human experience – both good and bad.
As for me, right now, I’ve grown weary of staring at this rubric for my graduate presentation on hyperthyroidism. This project is incremental in that we add onto it every couple of weeks, and since it seems I’ve already covered the content of this rubric in my previous project milestone I’m not quite sure what’s expected of me, here. Do I just submit the same work? That doesn’t seem right, even if the guidelines are all met. I’m coping with this indecision and slight confusion by minimizing that tab and coming here – seems like a reasonable thing to do. Either way, I’ve found that I’m a lot more productive when I work on schoolwork away from home where all of my distractions are in the form of tidying and video games. Napping, as well – can’t forget that! Sure, the weekly readings can be dry, but at least at a coffee shop I’m considerably less likely to fall asleep. Would you believe that a month ago, I debated changing my career path altogether? Nursing has always been a wise choice – not only does it offer job security, but it boasts a reasonable living wage wherever you go. Opportunities for advancement lurk around any corner to those who are courageous enough to search, or go back to school. However, what I’ve always enjoyed doing is writing and editing. In a spur-of-the-moment decision (and after a few too many long, terrible shifts at work), I emailed the dean of language studies at my alma mater inquiring about how my credits would transfer for an undergraduate degree in English. Perhaps my minor would be creative writing, or even marketing. Thinking about it now, if I could do it all again – perhaps this is what I would choose despite the risk of lower pay and less job security. Now though, as I’m situated halfway toward my Master’s degree, I think of how far I’ve come and how far I still have to go. It’s been so much of a burden financially, socially, mentally, and emotionally for me to back out and change my mind now. My heart is in the right place for this field, I simply need to remember to care for myself in the same way that I would for my patients lest I get burned out, altogether.
Even in here, I can feel the cool autumn air seeping in through the window nearby. It’s always exciting to anticipate the change in seasons, but at the same time I look at my motorcycle with a pout as I think about the long winter to come. Winter riding gear can only take one so far, as I won’t ride when the usual wintry precipitation begins.
It rained the whole time we were in Eureka Springs, as we feared when we were greeted with chilly air and darkened clouds just south of Springfield. Staying in a treehouse was the highlight of the trip by far. There’s nothing quite like waking up first thing in the morning and stepping out on the back balcony buried deep within the greenery of the woods that speckle the southern portion of the Ozark Mountains. The jacuzzi was another benefit – a good way to wind down and warm up after a day of riding in the chilly rain. Our bikes handled it well, and so did we – wet socks aside. The winding roads on the trip home were green, and foggy. I’m hoping to return for another trip (perhaps next summer?), with a helmet cam of sorts to capture the beauty.
It’s already lunchtime – how the time flies when you’re procrastinating. This coffee shop serves exclusively vegan items and luckily for me, they have some lunch options. I’ll likely grab a calzone now along with one to pack for my shift tomorrow.