This picture was taken while celebrating coming a long way. Not just physically over miles, but emotionally over tears and smiles. Last time I was in this spot in Utah in 2016 I was having blown-out-of-proportion anxiety attacks about quicksand and river crossings. This year I blew up a raft and sat in it and just floated down the river, laughing. I took this picture while spinning circles, getting ready to bounce off the canyon walls and butt drag thru some class 2.
This morning I remembered a huge milestone is coming up for me on the 9th, when I will be struggling with weather and more water (in Lake Powell): the 10 year anniversary of my last shift as a registered nurse. May 9, 2009 was the day I clawed my way out of a career that didn’t suit me, into the unknown of being an Etsy shop owner, essentially. My boss at the hospital mocked me; nobody quit that 6-digit salary, nurses only retired old or died from it. Yet I never went back, and never regretted it. (Phew!) Only over the winter did I finally feel relief from the PTSD I picked up as a RN: ten years of avoiding anything to do with doctors, clinics, or boo-boos. So as of today, and definitely by Thursday, being a nurse is so distant a memory, I can hardly believe that happened.
HERE’S TO GETTING OVER IT
