The most important word in the human language...

When I was in college I was asked what I thought the most important word in the human language was. I was slightly caught off guard  by the question and so I stuttered a little something like "umm thanks...or maybe love...or maybe happiness...is this a trick question?" The guy who asked me told me that the most important word in the human language is a person's name.

I had never thought of that before, but it really is true. People respond so differently to you when you know their names and when you use their names when you are talking to them. Using a person's name changes a  "Hey how was your day" inquiry into something that really matters and that person feels like you really do care.

This theory not only works with adults but it works with little kids too.

There was a first grader who came into the nurses office, who I had seen before, but I couldn't remember his name. As part of record keeping we have to document each students name, their grade and why they came into the nurses office. As I was starting to write down his information I asked him what his name was. He looked up with a hurt look in his eyes and said,

"You don't remember??"

Talk about ripping my heart out.       
                                                 

I have made it my goal to make a particular effort to remember names of the people that I meet and then to use their names when I talk to them. It is hard sometimes, but the reaction to a remembered name is so much better than the horrible feelings that come from the reaction of  a forgotten name.

Everyone has talents...

I have always kind of doubted myself and my decision to become a nurse. After I got my degree I wasn't 100% sure that nursing was really what I was supposed to do with my life. The thought that I should have majored in something else often creeps into my mind, but I try to squish it as quickly as possible because I know that nursing is something that I should be doing and I really am grateful for it. There was a little boy who came in and helped reaffirm the fact that nursing was for me. He came in quite a bit at the beginning of the school year and I couldn't help but make him a "favorite" of mine.

He came into the office with a nose bleed and it just did not want to stop. I was holding tissues on his nose and ice on his neck and then I would have him hold the tissues and I would hold ice on his neck and his nose. In the middle of the holding of ice/tissues and the small talk to make it seem like I wasn't freaking out (it was A LOT of blood) he started asking me about whether or not I was a "real" nurse and if I went to school for it. He also told me that I was the nicest nurse that he had ever met.

The real kicker (probably the reason I like him so incredibly much) is that he said that he was soo glad that I was a nurse and he was glad that I had gone to school for nursing because I have a gift for kindness and a great ability to help people who need help. He told me that he could just tell that this was the best thing for me to do. He said that everyone has talents, but not many people are able to really use thier talents in thier jobs, but I was totally using my talents.

His nose stopped bleeding shortly after that and he said bye and headed off to class, but I pondered a lot on what he said. It is true that everyone has talents and it is such a blessing to be able to be in a profession where I can really use the talents that I have been blessed with to help the lives of others. That little boy helped me remember that I actually really enjoy nursing, especially the helping others part of nursing. It was a good reminder that I am in the right place at this time in my life. Reminders like that are wonderful!

"Cuz you look like..."

Often times when kids come to the nurses office during school they are really just looking for  a way to get out of class for a while. What does this mean? Most of the time I simply let them sit in the office for a couple of minutes and then send them back to class. While they are sitting there they sometimes like to have little conversations with me. The following was a conversation that happened on my second day of school.

Third grader, "So how long have you worked here."

Me, "Two days. I started when school started."

Third grader, "Oh that's cool...You wanna be my friend?"

Me, "Um, sure. That sounds ok to me."

Thrid grader, "Awesome. All you have to do is remember my name ok?"

Me, "Alright. I can do that."

(Silence as I start typing something in the computer)

Third grader, "Excuse me."

Me, "Yes?"

Third grader, "How old are you?"

Me (as I turn and look at the student who had the audacity to ask my real age), "Why?"

Third grader, "Cuz you look like you are 16."

I was flattered by her "compliment." I laughed and told her my age and she just responded with oh. Kids really know how to make your day, although I do remember when I was 16 and people would ask me if I was 22. It seems that my looks are digressing, but that is a good thing right?
The youngest picture I have of myself at the moment.
I am on the right and I am 17 (I think).

                                                                                 22nd birthday. Don't I look younger ;)

Hey Good Looking...

Have you ever noticed that when people walk past a reflective object they tend to kind of look at it and examine themselves, but they don't really want people to know that they are looking as if that would  make them less of a person if someone found out that they were checking themselves out. I used to be like that, now however I just full on stare at myself in any reflective object that I come across. That might sound vain and I used to think that it was vain, but it really isn't. Here is what my Anatomy and Physiolgy professor taught me and it changed the way I thought about checking myself out.

He said that everyone who has a body should be grateful because the human body is such an amazing miracle. You should be even more grateful if your body functions normally. It doesn't matter the size of your body or the shape of your body because no matter what you are beautiful because you have this wonderful gift of a body. He encouraged us to "check ourselves out" in the windows and mirrors that we come across because we are all really good looking people. He then went on to say that he even takes it a step farther when he comes across a window or mirror and he talks to his reflection. He says it is amazing what a little say like Hey Good Lookin' can do for a person's self esteem-it doesn't really matter where the compliment is coming from, just that it comes.

I laughed when he shared this, but now I do it all the time. Whenever I get ready in the morning I look at myself in the mirror and I say Wow you are looking soo good or My oh my can you get any prettier. You have no idea how much better my days go when I say this to myself. It is like starting the day off on the right foot because you know at least there is one person in the world who thinks that you are awesome! It is the biggest confidence booster and it really does make it easier to face the day.

The next time you walk past any kind of reflective surface take the time to look and give yourself a little compliment. Love yourself and others will love you that much more!

"I was trying to make it disappear..."

I have two jobs...A part time job at an elementary school as a school nurse (technically a health technician, but no one really knows what that means) and I work basically full time at another school as a secretary. It is lots and lots of fun and I stay busy. These jobs also give me great stories to tell. I love working with kids, especially ones that are not super-duper sick. (Kudos to my lovely sister-love you!!) Here is a more recent story...

A kid comes in with a note from their teacher with a tiny pumpkin shaped eraser taped to it,

the eraser kind of looks like the picture to the right. The note states that the student swallowed the eraser. The other "nurse" (or to be politically correct health tech) in the office asks them what happened and if they swallowed it on purpose. They tell the following story:
I had the eraser in my hand and I was going to do an awesome magic trick with it for my friends-I was going to make it disappear. So I was doing some fancy hand movements and getting very serious. I opened my mouth (cuz that is where I was going to make it "disappear" to) and I flung the eraser in...I guess I just flung it too hard cuz it went down my throat and then I had to swallow so I did and then it was gone. My teacher sent me up here to make sure I was ok. So am I ok?

You have to give the kid some credit. They did make it disappear!

And so it begins...

Just in case you haven't already figured it out...I started my own blog. Here's a little entertaining story of the birth of this blog...in case you were wondering.

From the very first time I heard about blogging and it became the "in thing" to do I have wanted to have a blog. I kept thinking that one day the time would be right or one day I will have super important thoughts or one day I will have an absolutely genius idea like the blog that inspired the movie Julie and Julia. I just kept waiting and waiting. I put it off because I figured no one really wants to hear from me, especially if I am boring (which most of the time I am). I was waiting for marriage and kids before I started one so that I would have something to blog about that would be "entertaining" for those who graced my blog with their presence. All of these thoughts have kept running and running through my head until one day I woke up from my lack of blog daze and I realized something.

My Life Has Begun.

Not only that, but that I have had a life this whole time. I want to share my thoughts ( because I have thoughts) It doesn't really matter if no one ever reads it because at some point I will read it again and maybe my kids will read it someday. I mean I may not ever get a movie to be made about my blog or I may never pass a total of 5 followers, but hey I am doing something that I want to do-and hopefully I am being entertaining while I am doing it, despite my lack of a husband or children. 

This little blog is to show you what it is like to be a Barbie girl in a Barbie's world (I know lame, cheesy, corny in every way and yet so very, very catchy-oh and thank you Aqua for making that song that has both plagued my life and made it so much more entertaining). Hope you enjoy...or get a couple laughs.