Adventures

I have started another new adventure in my life. Yes, another is the key word here. About 7 yrs ago, it was to make soap and have a small cottage business. Prior to that it was to have a janitorial service. And even before that it was to homeschool all of my children. This time the journey involves going back to college. Call it a midlife thing, but it just kind of came on suddenly. I was helping my kids with their class schedules at the local Community College and while browsing through the class listings I came across a one semester class on Basic Patient Care. Hmmmm. The class involves caring for those who can't care for themselves very well; such as the elderly or the sick. I thought about how practical a skill like this might be to meet the needs of my future hope, (another adventure) which is to serve as a missionary of some sort when my hubby retires. So I enrolled in the class and am now into my third week. So far it is very basic and very practical...just as I thought it might be. But the wonderful state of California has required that I receive 150 hours of training before I can be certified in basic and practical skills such as these. So far I have brushed my friend's teeth and washed her face, made a bed while a hermaphradite mannequin lifelessly reclined upon it, carefully moved said mannequin to a more "comfortable" position only to have his/her leg fall off onto the floor, in addition to a number of other basic and practical skills. I have yet to actually work on any real "residents" thus far, though this time is fast approaching in the next couple of weeks. (I must say, though, these plastic patients are very compliant). I am hoping that as I achieve this new stage of basic enlightenment, other scenarios will have a more successful outcome than those in the last few days. For example, I was instructed to dress "Mr. Smith" the other day only to find that as I raised his bed sheet, his bottom half didn't match his upper half. He looked like "Mrs. Smith" from the waist down! Now, that's just not right! I suspect that doing this type of work will have its share of surprises, but I'm not so sure I am ready for most of them. Let's face it...growing old is not pretty. I will be doing everything that the higher skilled and higher paid nurses don't want to do. But, I do hope, seriously, that I can gain some experience in caring for others while I prepare for a future of service for the Lord. As I seek Him, each and every step of the way, everyday, is an adventure, so I am trusting that all of this will have a very positive outcome. Until the next interesting concept comes along...