Spring
We are entering a new season (Spring), the beauty of the flowers blooming and concluding the first quarter of the year. I have laughed, cried, celebrated, been confused, but also stayed present throughout this first part of the year, and I am grateful to experience all that I have.
March welcomed opportunities such as getting assigned to clinicals, work travels, and more simple but intentional moments. Before jumping into all that, I cannot skip over the current state of the world. We continuously see why GREED and FAME are extremely dangerous when we become so absorbed in what promotes nothing but ill against humanity. We live in times where we cannot afford to say, “I don’t know,” or “I don’t watch the news.” Let these times be a definition of why your voice and actions matters.
Moving into more reflective moments of my month, one personal high: my communication is improving big time, from expressing my thoughts to sharing ideas and seeing how well they are received or not. I am still a work in progress (we all are) but we are only going up from here. Last year, I posted a video on my YouTube channel about Taking up space, emphasizing the importance of knowing that your voice matters. I have found myself in the past, during several situations, where I could have spoken up, but I let the fear of doubt shrink me. So we are simply putting into practice the act of taking up space.
On to the adventurous end of my month, I traveled to Denver, Colorado for the first time, and work took me there. The weather was interesting, from being stuck in Milwaukee at the airport overnight due to snow, to arriving the next day mentally exhausted, yet still needing to be fully present for my work conference. I wish I had the opportunity to explore the city more, but I didn’t have much time to do so.
Staying downtown, I walked to the convention center each morning to get in some exercise and familiarize myself with the area. Of course, as a coffee lover, I stopped at a coffee shop on my way to the convention center one morning, and I had such a lovely encounter. While I didn’t get to fully explore, I am a city girl at heart, and of course I wanted to see what it’s like to take the train in another city, so I did just that.
I went to Union Station, bought a train ticket to the Denver airport, and had vanilla ice cream on a cone before boarding the train. The ride to the airport was nice, seeing the combination of desert and mountains. I am glad I did, I am an adventurer at heart and try to make the most of what I can.
The month continued to bring more surprises. I started clinicals, and when they say there is a first for everything, there truly is. I walked into the process with no expectations at all, I simply wanted to dive right in, into whatever the experience would be. The first day, yes, I was nervous, but like they say, you never know until you put into practice what you’ve learned. I enjoyed every moment, from it simply being my first time wearing scrubs, to providing a bed bath to an actual patient rather than a mannequin, to the 1:1 interactions, and the act of making it fun for yourself in the moment. These moments have reminded me how important life is, and why humility truly matters. I also had the opportunity to interact with a hospice patient, this experience has deepened my gratitude for the life God has blessed me with.
Cherry Blossom
I have to say, we are spoiled to have the cherry blossom flourish so beautifully in the dmv. I had such an amazing time viewing them this year, walking the Washington Bridge and simply soaking it all in.
As we entered the warmer parts of the month, I have enjoyed my evening walks, as I continue to stay present through life and enjoy the simple moments, because they count more than we can imagine. There is a house not too far from where I live, and they have a mini box outside in their yard with books. I am slowly getting back to being consistent with reading, and honestly, I have some good options. Nonetheless, I picked a romantic fiction from the collection in the box, and I have got to say, the storyline is juicy.
Ending on a sweet note, I added two new records to my collection. For someone who only started collecting three months ago, I am really happy with my selection. What makes these two records special is that I got to listen to them before buying them, which, honestly, nothing can beat that. Lately, I have also been getting into Brazilian jazz, and I will definitely start looking for physical records in that genre because it’s such a vibe.
To the month of March, thank YOUuuuu!
Vanessa Korboi 