Ale La (Go There)

For those who don't know, I have had the privilege of serving as a nurse and interpreter this past week on a medical missions trip in Cuzco, Peru. The following was jotted down short hand on the back of my Spanish cheat sheet after a hard day in the clinic. It is my best attempt at re-creating the emotion of the moment. 11/10/11 The bus is driving and I am sitting here staring out the window. Today was a hard day. We had to tell a mother that her 10 year old son probably has muscular dystrophy and that it would eventually progress to his lungs and breathing. That is the hardest thing here, when people come to you looking for a cure and you realize the limits of medicine. I was struck by the intensity and sheerness of human need. I was struck by my own inability. So, here I am sitting on the bus. I haven't really listened to music all week, and now I pop my earbuds into by ears and turn the volume up on something soothing. It's like my soul has been starved for beauty. In...

Life. It’s not about what it brings to you, it’s about the attitude you bring to living. That was my cliché statement of the post. It sounds like something that would be in a romantic comedy. Anyways, life post nursing school and post RN license has been very typical of this statement. Every day, week, month is a choice. Choose to watch TV all day or choose to go out and meet up with a friend. Choose to run a few miles or choose to bake some goodies. Inertia is a real thing. When I am in motion it can sometimes feel frenetic, like staying in motion will somehow give me a greater purpose. Staying at rest is even worse. There is nothing like staying in your pajamas all day for the third day in a row and watching too many Lie to Me episodes. Not that I know that last bit from experience. I am just speaking hypothetically. ;) No but really, over the last couple of months I think I have actually arrived at a more balanced place than either of these two extremes. I do things with friends...