Answer Me This

1. How long have you lived in your current home?

Since this past Palm Sunday.  It may seem weird that I know the exact day but it isn't so weird when it was a significant liturgical day.  And we have been loving it every minute since that day. 

2. How do you find out about news and current events?

So I wish I could sound like an educated person and say the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, CNN.com, or Fox News but to be honest whatever I catch on the radio during my 10 minute commute or what is significant enough for people to talk about it.  Or to be super duper embarrassingly honest-Facebook. There I said it.  Sometimes I learn about significant world events because people feel the need to write a status about said event or post a link.  

3. Would you be able to make change for a twenty right now? For a dollar?

Uhm fat chance.  Don't tell Dave Ramsey I said that.  

4. What's the craziest food you've ever eaten?

I think alligator.  My family was at Gator Land in Florida and I thought their chicken nuggets were called Gator nuggets just to be cute.  Nope they were alligator meat.  

5. Which of the commonly removed parts have you had removed? (tonsils, wisdom teeth, appendix, etc.)

I had my wisdom teeth removed in high school and I pretty much don't remember the whole day, that is how out of it I was.  Doctors would probably have suggested I get my tonsils out when I used to have tonsillitis a few times a year but I always went to urgent cares or the university clinic conveniently so that my PCP didn't pick up on just how often I was getting it.
 
6. What's your favorite sport to watch on TV? 

In general, I don't have enough focus to watch sports but if I had to I would say Olympic figure skating, swimming, diving, or gymnastics or basketball.  But I am from Cleveland and basketball is a sensitive subject right now #allin #clevelandpride

Night Shift Survival

If you look at the glass half empty, half of my schedule is night shifts.  Glass half full, ONLY half of my shifts are at night.  As I round out the end of my two weeks of night shifts, this glass is defiantly half empty.

This really bothers me.  I don't want to survive half of my life, I want to thrive in all my life.

First, I am going to attempt to fix this by changing my attitude.  Giving up on the attitude of survival and trying to embrace the attitude of thriving.

Second, I want to create a night shift routine.  When I am awake during normal hours aka the daylight, I have a routine.  I read scripture, I eat three meals, I have a bedtime routine, I just function better.  Well if half my life is spent working nights I have to have a night shift routine too.  I have to find a time that I open scripture.  I need to eat healthy food.  I need to thrive when I work night shift.

Now I know that I know something about doing night shift.  My tips to anyone else trying to thrive with night shift is try different things to see what works for you and don't expect them to always work.  Sometimes the night before I work I stay up as late as possible so that I can sleep in as late as possible.  Other days I don't sleep much at night so that I can take a good nap.  That however is a risky move because if I can't nap I haven't slept much before I go into work.  Above all, believe in Benedryl.  If you work two days in a row and it is bright, sunny, and hot outside take a half a Benedryl and you will sleep the whole day through.  Benedryl and I are best friends when I work nights.

Any other night shifters out there?  Anyone else switch between nights and days?  What are your tips and drinks?  Love a night shifter desperate for help.

Be.

Here I am sitting in my favorite New York apartment with one my my best friends.  The cool breeze is blowing through the hanging on the wall, blankets are strewn about from a weekend of friends and laughter, the corners are in a desperate need of dusting and the taste of the delicious New York bagel is still fresh in my mind.  I am here and trying to be still for a moment to just be.

Being still long enough to realize the adventure the Lord is already taking me on rather than worried that I am not on all the adventure I could be on.  

Being thankful for the friendships that contain intense prayer and soul deep laughter.  

Closing my eyes to never forget the wedding of a dear friend with heartfelt for life vows, stuffed shrimp, on the water views, genuine smiles and the excitement of real authentic life and love.  

Struggling to be content waiting for the one the Lord wants for me.  The one to dance with, share with, dream with and kiss under the stars with.  

The Lord says be still and know that I am God and we read it over and over again yet how often do we purposely stop and be.  Be still.  Be reflective.  Be prayerful.