Update:
First and foremost, I just turned 26 years old--rounding up, that's 30 years old--dog years that 100+ years... Holy moly! Where has the time gone? It feels like I just turned 21 yesterday. I suppose it's a good thing that I still feel as healthy as I did when I was 21 years old. I've been told that after 25 your body takes a u-turn. Lets hope y'all are wrong. "Just look at it this way, you're half of 52," wise words from my dad's mouth. At first, I felt weird hearing that, but the more I thought about it... 52 years old... I see a lot of very healthy individuals well past the age of 52 years old. Life. Age. It really is just a number.
Being a registered nurse, I see the good, the bad, and the ugly. I've come to realize that life is what you make of it. Honestly! I feel there are so many people worrying about what's next that they are not taking the time to enjoy what's now. 26 years old... I'm still "young, and wild, and free!" I have a whole life ahead of me. Yes, I could worry about my life being cut short by some illness or an accident [God forbid]--things happen... But, right now, in the moment, I'm still living. You're still living.
WHAT THE HECK!? This is suppose to be an update... Haha. Well, to continue... This past weekend, I traveled to Louisiana for Mother's Day and my birthday. My mom had no clue I was coming in. I told her I wasn't going to be able to fly down because of work. She was soooooo surprised when I showed up [video below].
Gosh, I love my family!
I feel there is so much to update you on; I really need to do better.
Lets see... I jumped in my first Tournament of Champions hosted by Hot Dog USA. I had a blast. I competed on only two hours of sleep [I worked the night before] and L.J. had a broke leg, but we still placed first in double dutch single freestyle. Granted, it was a very small competition and we water down our routine, but we only had one miss. I think it was an accomplishment for all of us. Not for the first place, but because we were able to overcome all obstacles--literally. Brain's knee and wrist hurt, Robbie was sore from running a marathon of some sort, Jesse's ankle was hurt from soccer, my hamstring was acting up, and L.J.'s broke foot. Of course Garrett was himself and Nick, well, he's just supernatural... With all odds against us, we still continued to put on a pretty darn good show during and at the end of the competition. Now, being a nurse, I most certainly would not recommend or advise anyone to do what we did. You risk hurting yourself worst, which could result in permanent complications. However, it sure did feel good at the end when everyone yelled and clapped extremely loud.
Something special that really stood out from that day was when a parent stopped me in my tracks and said the following:
"Chad, you're a great role model for my kid, thank you."Short and sweet but very effective... That statement meant everything to me. That statement made everything worth it all. That statement, ladies and gentlemen, is why I do what I do. #JumpRope #Appreciation
Goodness, this is starting to get long... So, I'm going to wrap it up with my award winning story from Nurse's Week. Placing 3rd, the following story was published in Overlake Medical Center's paper:
My "best day as a nurse at Overlake" can be described with the following two words: Lady Gaga.
By: Chad Rankin, RN; West 4
I recently moved to Washington from a small town in Louisiana. Being a new nurse at Overlake, still learning my way around the unit, I imagine myself looking like a chicken with its head cut off. As I wandered into my first patient's room, a lovely 92 year old lady, I introduced myself and began to update the whiteboard. She asked me, "Do you like Lady Gaga?" Come again, I thought… Making sure she was fully with it and not just making "goo goo gaga" sounds, I assessed her orientation (she was 92). To my surprise, she was oriented times three. I replied with, "Yes, I really like her song Born This Way." Excitedly, she agreed, "Me too! She makes me want to dance." Joking I said, "Don't you go dancing around the room without calling for assistance."
Instantly, in that moment, I realized patient’s can surprise and delight us. Early the next morning there was a beautiful sunrise I was able to watch with my 92 year old Lady Gaga fan. So, when times get rough, I think of Lady Gaga's lyrics, "just dance, gonna be okay." :-)
You are amazing!
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