To Your Success…

The thing I’ve learned from a Nursing career spanning over 30 years is that life can turn to loss in less than 60 seconds..the loss of life is final and there are no do overs…Life is precious and something that no one should ever take for granted!

I’m going to step away from clara54 for a a few weeks to give myself up to the luxury of living, loving & being a participant in life and thanking The Almighty for the success I’ve achieved from doing the thing I’m so passionate about-Making a difference in the lives of others!

Success isn’t just about how much money you make or how much “stuff” you accumulate. It’s not even about how many celebs you’ve interacted with… in response to the ribbing from a good-natured friend in the blogosphere about that one:)  It’s about making a connection and building on a community of like minded folks; forming friendships on the journey to working toward a common goal. It’s about “contributing” to the change in the world that you want to see.

Here’s my tribute to your successful life:

“As we live and breathe, we also live and learn- don’t rush success. Take baby steps to hone your craft…use your skills…speak and act from the heart… run your own race.” 

Peace, joy and abundance in all things!

Clara.

On The Positive Side of Nurses Week..

Image via Wikipedia

Just to be clear, I don’t usually write about my profession so much, simply because I feel the heat! The truth is, I don’t often come up with anything positive to say about my profession as a Professional Nurse! I know the wrath of the Gods will befall me, huh? Actually, my truth is, I’ve been around the ins and outs of Healthcare for well over 30 years and frankly my dear, I find that the world as a whole just don’t give a damn! Let me clarify. From my room with a view, oftentimes,patients are looked upon as consumers by those in the business of Healthcare. Nurses? Well, as a whole, we’re finding out that our voices are no longer considered the “voice” of reason when it comes to patient care and patient intervention. You might want to run your assessment by the Therapist, Dietitican , Activity Aide, and Social Services Dept first, before that decision-making  nursing skill of yours can be validated.

But, then, this is Nurses Week & I’m a nurse, so let me find “something ” to be positive about… hmmm…Let’s see:

Ms. “P” is a trooper & a cutup at the ripe old age of 102, YAY!

Mr. “D” finally figured out that his wheelchair was for sitting in and not falling out of 3-4 times a day, YAY! (No lap buddy for protection-as they’re considered a form of abuse) 

Ms. “M” meds finally kicked in and she can stop screaming at the top of her lungs and scaring other patients and having visitors think she’s being abused, YAY!

The CEO actually said “hello” as I got off the elevator, YAY!

For once, the Attending  Physician didn’t scream when nurses paged him countless times for routine /normal labs on the same patient,YAY!

I got to urinate earlier than 10am, YAY! YAY!  

I’m not writing this gripe on Facebook, YAY!

I “loved” my job, YAY!

I still know WHY I became a nurse, YAY!

The patients recognize caring nurses, YAY! 

I could be written up for this and lose my “Happy Nurses Week gift bag! YAY!?!

Happy Nurses Week Nightengales!

Are U a Nurse? Your response ? No profane speech people:)

Related articles

• Belittling the Nurse (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Doctor bashing and confronting physicians in the media (kevinmd.com)
• Nurses Week turns tables on caregivers (windsorstar.com)

Clara54 Takes A Sabbatical!

Image by Larra Jungle Princess via Flickr

Good Sunday Morning! Clara54 is listening to her body & taking a much needed SABBATICAL for the week!  See you on Monday with much more insights on my transition from professional nurse to successful freelance writer …

Peace & Blessings,

Clara.

Related Articles

• Sabbatical (markos.gaivo.net)

“It Matters Not The Size Of My Step; As Long As I’m Facing The Right Direction”

 

Okay, so it’s a tad long, this quote by Dawn Thierfelder, but it so describes my journey here at clara54, that I had to make it  bold & serious! If you want to read more affirmations from Dawn, you can follow “quotes” @ Coach Dawn Says on Twitter.

Nooo, I’m not getting paid to endorse Dawn’s quotes 🙂 Speaking of getting paid, I went in to work this morning, only to be told that we were over staffed.  Say What!?!

Actually, as bad as the healthcare arena is in today’s economy, we’re over staffed? Yea, the folks in charge are still cutting costs for quality Healthcare. I won’t even address the nurse to patient ratio because I’m not going to use clara54 to rant.

I’m of a new mindset and new attitude these days. So, before vacating the premises,I go down to the hospital cafe to grab some delicious grub for breakfast, thinking about this other hat I’m wearing & loving btw: Freelance Writer.

I have been doing a bit of networking over at my business blog at Authentic Woman, my empowerment site for women, which has gotten positive results. One motivational guest post was accepted. Another awaiting publication.  I also have a biz deal in the making that I’m waiting for paperwork to be finalized before revealing details.

I have a ton of email backlog that needs my attention as well. And I’m finishing up a read in 3 volumes from Beth Ann Erickson of Filbert Publishing that I’m going to profile here soon. In the meantime, I’m still paying it forward to some of my writing buds when I get emails for PR pieces that doesn’t exactly gel with the theme of Clara54.

For the most part, the work folks are asking me to profile is totally legit & fabulous!  I guarantee if I can’t fill your requests, I’ll forward it to someone who can.

Okay, that’s it for clara54. There’s so much more stuff I need to get out . I have a full day ahead, but I do have a social life as well! Life is good, even in bits & pieces, because clara54 is headed in the right direction 🙂

Prelude To Something Special!

Question? How many of you have an innate fear of public speaking? I do…if you do as well, raise your keyboards creatives, because clara54 is about to introduce you to Doreen Hamilton Ph.D. The author of Essential Speaking( the book i’m reading) and the 7-Step Guide to finding Your Real Voice. I’m so blown away about how some of us with this crippling fear mask this inner turmoil without really getting to the core of the problem!

For those of you who want to know more about getting rid of this fear of public speaking, come back shortly to clara54 & read Doreen’s guest post as she has kindly consented to taking time from her busy schedule to contribute. Meanwhile, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Essential Speaking as well. I’m glad I did, it’s an awesome journey people! AND…

YAY!, Healthcare Reform has passed! Affordable healthcare for all! Folks with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied healthcare/life insurances! The nurse in me feels patients & families are finally getting heard …They are the ‘America’ folks need to ‘talk’ about.

The Illinois Bill for Workplace Abuse has passed in the Senate! Received the great news from Ms. Coleen Robinson today! more to come because this subject is close & dear to my advocate heart… I’m quite busy these days,but,finding balance in dealing with it all. Hope your days are fruitful & fulfilling:)

A Few Surprises For Clara54…

Spring forward! can’t seem to adjust to the time change 😦 I’ve been late to my ‘day’ job twice this week! or, maybe, the clock is set too far ahead on the job, sneaks…
111 visits to clara54 on Tuesday…Yay! appears this flow of traffic stems from a recent interview subject and got folks talking & wanting to know more, hence, the stat increase 🙂 either way, I feel good about that.

The book,When One Door Closes-Reflections From Women On Life’s Turning Points getting mounds of publicity from media & other interested parties…My essay, Second Time Around even sent a few profile seekers my way.

Had to post a sort of rant on my blog post at blogher to purge myself from a distasteful encounter on the way home from work recently. The post “Why Young Men Disrespect Older Women “had to be written/ A tongue lashing given to the fellow was deemed necessary, followed by an overwhelming feeling of sadness for the mothers & fathers who failed to instill respect in their offspring… “oh, if I ruled the world!”

Finally got my laptop back on track…now I can recline in my PJs on my bed/couch as long as I want & write posts like this one!
Preparing for another family reunion in June, destination sunny Florida Resorts…a travel review will be in the works…

I’m not a big fan of the outrageous gossip person Perez Hilton, but love the reality show Bad Girls & took in the Oxygen network’s grand finale with the girls and Perez Hilton as moderator…I thought Perez was out of line when he set out to hurt Natalie’s feelings by challenging her “bad girl” persona… staring in her face… remarked that he was looking at her acne & could recommend a good dermatologist. Not cool Perez! Moderators are supposed to moderate, not belittle their guests! Clara54 love some good celebrity gossip, but never seek out to intentionally hurt folk’s feeling…

Finally, I’ve submitted my next working nurse column post, wrote a guest blogger post (pending publication @ last check) and will relax & welcome some “me” time on my day off!
Life is so grand! Keep visiting AND
keep dancing!

Call For The Short Story…

Do you write short stories? I do. I’ve always loved the short story, as well as flash fiction. It’s because brevity works for me and the short story doesn’t require the loads of research that other forms of writing call for. I’m not a fan of doing a lot of research, unless it’s a nonfiction piece I’m covering & factual data becomes a must. I’ve written fiction & nonfiction stories and find them easier than long drawn out novels, the autobiograpy, memoirs & such. (although I’m procrastinating on a memoir that started out as a biographical work- decided less is more in order for me to actually get the work out:) The short story fiction competitions are hot & heavy this month of Sept. I just missed the deadline for Goodhousekeeping’s short story submission. But, I’m more than ready for Essence Magazines’ Sept 30 deadline…

Other hot spots for the Short Story:

Poets & Writers
Writers Digest
Women On Writing Ezine
Do you have a soft spot for the Short Story? Revamp those gems & join the party…
BTW: Clara54 wanna give a shoutout to Brenda Broger, a nurse practictioner in Florida(& her fav sis-in-law) for having her work “Fathers’ Coping Mechanisms Related to Parenting a Chronically Ill Child: Implications For Advanced Practice Nurses” accepted in The Journal Of Pediatric Health Care…Yay! and to Mr. Henry L. Jones, a former Illinois poet/artist based in Tennessee, for the publication of his book, Run Into Blackness: Feeling My Poetic Gumbo. Way to go Mr. Jones! Clara54 has been inspired by you guys to keep-a-going!

Blogging Your Personal Best…

Just how much is too much when you’re blogging? I beg to ask this question because of the booming success of Twitter’ where in 140 characters, folks blog some of their most personal thoughts & actions…think Ashton Kutcher’s pic of wife Demi Moore in her skimmies! But, more than that visual, I’ve also read and found room for debate from some experienced bloggers & professional writers who feel that one shouldn’t be spilling the beans so to speak about what’s happening in their personal lives…even advising not to use your real name as a deterrant to scammers,hacks & haters… so many differences of opinion… sooo much fodder for debate…

Clara54 is based upon my journey as a Professional Nurse who, after 30 something years have made the decision to devote the second phase of life to following her passion by jumpstarting & breaking into the field of freelance writing. jokingly referred to in some circles, as someone who’s been writing since the invention of the ‘bic’ pen, I see nothing wrong in joining a community of online writers who might be interested in what a woman in midlife have to say about the happenings in her world!

Let’s not get it twisted though, even I know the difference between having a professional as opposed to personal blog. At clara54 I blog what I want people to know about my journey into freelance, my inspirations, my sometimes humdrum days, writing accomplishments & my ‘fave’ ice cream…If folks take offense, I can’t tell:)

I suppose what I want to say to all of those naysayers & critics who haven’t been in it long enough to truly undertand it, “stay out of the kitchen if you can’t stand the heat!” I’m truly encouraged by all the community of like minded people who do ‘get it’ and who continues to visit Clara54… It’s quite awesome, really! Got something to say? love to hear it…

Anyhow…

I’m not distraught…I’m not exactly estastic either. I suppose I’m just trying to take the bitter with the sweet here folks. Today marked 2 days back on the job. Yes, the month of September went by in a whirlwind of queries, writing, submissions and networking with other folks in the business of writing. Admittedly, there were some stress-free days of visits with friends, family and being with myself …Oh, how I enjoyed the 4 weeks of blissful ‘living the way I wanna live it’

So, I’m back with co-workers, patients, and employers… the first day was grueling…Although welcomed back with open arms, I still feel disconnected… like I’ve hung up my nurses’ stethoscope… yet, one must do the job 100% when you’re in it… Today, after work, I managed to send a query to a relationship website…got prompt response…will get verdict on gig in a week or, so.

I also revisited myitthings where my article for fall fashion is among the top ten finalists in their monthly contest … I try hard to get excited, but, I’ve placed amongst the top ten for several competitions before…just maybe, fourth time’s the charm! Those babyboomer magazine articles I’d mentioned? One was recently published on the site… So is a  post I’d written about women over 50 for America’s Next Top Blogger over at AllWomen Stalk…I visit these sites practically everyday to remind myself of my recent accomplishments…

I’m constantly meeting/greeting other writer/bloggers whose friendly & welcoming nature keeps me encouraged! again, I’m not exactly thrilled right now, but, neither am I throwing myself a ‘pity party’

Not cool…

After the Debates last night, I couldn’t sleep. Stayed up late  watched late night segment Oprah Show…which I watch occasionally when the guests are authors/presidential nominees…anyhow, it appears that Oprah is having fridays as ‘friday views’ or something with three guest hosts. I won’t name them, that’s not the issue here.

Spike Lee was one of Oprah’s interview guests… you know director Spike/Malcolm X… anyhow, he’s done it again according to critics, with his new movie, Miracle At St. Anna…love that about you Spike. What I didn’t care for during the interview with Oprah/ and perhaps you wasn’t aware of, is the way you kept swiping under your nose with your fingers!

Spike Lee, that is not cool, man! Ok, say you have a nervous ‘tic’…say, no big deal, it’s just Spike being Spike…the nurse in me say…no way, no how, unacceptable! Your face carry germs. The nose area man, inclusive of nares, seepage, all the ‘yuck stuff’ that one wipe from a finger can impart onto others…germs man!… And then, to make matters worse, you hug/shake hands with Oprah!

Ok, maybe, I’m just being too sensitive…maybe I’ve been a nurse for, far too long…or, maybe because I was raised to know that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness'( ok, I’m a junkaholic, another one for webster! but my junk is clean junk)  Because I love& admire your creative talents, Spike…

I leave you with two words of advice for future interviews/personal habits…Hand Sanitizers!