Begin Again

Having grown in small town Mississippi, the sound of late night crickets and early mourning doves brings me back to my roots. I spent 18 years on the glorious Mississippi Gulf Coast before flitting to Auburn, Alabama to pursue new dreams. A plucky, determined student, I embraced a new path into a nursing career; one which I followed to Nashville, Boston, Richmond, and Washington DC. Practicing as a nurse in pediatric intensive care units and as a pediatric nurse practitioner not only challenged my career, but granted opportunities in a wide world that were insatiable in my small hometown.

Now the clarity and curiosity of the last twenty years has brought me to a point of pause. Daily I muddle through as the mother of two spirited boys and the wife of one spirited husband.  I am quite aware that most days I strive to be a duck; poised on the surface and thrashing my feet furiously beneath. And though the art [and science] of medicine remains a passion, I am reaching for new leaves. As a debut author with a wealth of experience in childhood adaptability, I have poured my soul into caring for critically ill children. This journey continues, nurturing those beings around me, from the honeysuckle vines to the praying mantis. From the sick child to the boisterous boys who light up my life. From my dearest friend to novel faces. Dare I try capturing the moments in between with written words? 

Although there are many tales I could tell from my experience as a pediatric nurse practitioner, there are some that are universally relatable. Namely, the stark emotional differences between adults and children. Adults make allowances for the inevitable bad day. We shield ourselves from our fears. We grant ourselves permission to be in a grumpy mood or to change our minds. We make accommodations for our anxiety. We indulge ourselves for tolerating the dull, challenging, and exhausting moments in our lives. We even deign to feel sorry for ourselves when we are sick or hurt. Children, however, are not equipped with the same resources. A child either feels good or feels bad; the space between may span a moment or an eon of time. Thus, they approach obstacles with their most powerful tool, imaginations. A coping skill forgotten by adults, imaginations are an infinite source of escape and comfort. We have much to learn from their creativity; accept their invitation and kindle the spark.

No matter how big, no matter how small.

No matter how short, no matter how tall.

No matter how old, no matter how young,

Choose to begin and the adventure is begun.