Shakin' Things Up

Lately, I've felt just plain uninspired.  Is it the weather?  Today is the first day of sun we've had in at least a week... but its freezing cold!  Tomorrow and the rest of the week its supposed to be in the 60's again, but today we're having this weird cold spell.  But at least its sunny.

View from my office today

The goal of making it to 60 yoga classes in 60 days has not been accomplished... I over estimated both my current fitness level and my schedule... but I can always try again next month.  My fitness level is improving everyday!  I made it to 12 classes in 30 days.  Pretty pathetic, but I'm going to keep at it.  It's amazing how good I feel after class... the best high ever.  But getting my butt to the studio to push, pull, and twist my body into different shapes in a 105 degree room has not been easy.  But I keep showing up... and I'm going to keep chipping away at it until my name is on the 60 in 60 Challenge Wall like the others.

I feel like I need to shake things up a bit in my life... I feel stagnant.  I'm not going pretend that everything is all rosy.  I'm lucky enough to have a fabulous husband (who I am grateful for everyday) and a very loving family (despite the physical distance between us), but I've definitely been in a funk with my job and career path, and I'm feeling like I don't have many options- mainly because I'm not willing to sell my soul for a job... especially one that doesn't pay very well.

I've been seriously pondering going back to school to study something completely different than my current path.  I'm thinking of becoming a Nurse Anesthetist.

If you know me, you're probably saying, "What?!"

I haven't taken a science class since high school and I get grossed out in the bloody scenes in movies.  But I've actually been giving it a lot of thought.  The thing is, having Ulcerative Colitis has really put certain things into perspective for me.  I'm finding the science of the body more and more interesting, and I'd love to have a career where I get to help people.  Plus, it would be great to have a job where I could literally say, "I helped make someone feel better." 

Nursing would also allow David and I to live anywhere... we could make our dream of living in Spain (or China or New Zealand) for a year or two a reality and both have work.  That is a real motivator.  And the pay scale for nurses is great... plus there is a need for nurses across the country, so the job market pretty open.

The thing I'm struggling with is that I tend to have poor follow through.  Yes, even I can admit, that I get really excited about an idea (any idea), and then it fizzles out (60 in 60 was a great idea...but).  If I'm going to do this, I have to be sure.  We can't afford for me to get part way into this and say, "This isn't for me after all."  So I hesitate... can I overcome my aversion to bloody fleshy situations and horrific smells?  I think I can... but how can I be sure?  Any ideas?  On the plus side, I've always liked hospitals.  The other challenge is family.  Can we make it work to balance a family, school and a job all at the same time?  Can I do it?

I spoke with a good friend of mine who was a nurse, and then became a legislator.  She was very encouraging.  Her husband was a general surgeon until he was 50, and then decided he wanted to be a plastic surgeon, so he went back to school for 2 or 3 years to become a Plastic Surgeon.  And he's considered one of the best in Boise.  If I keep on track, I will be through the nursing program in three years (mainly because I have to take Biology and Chemistry because I've never taken them before), and then I'd have to work 1.5-2 years in an ICU or Critical Care facility before entering the Nurse Anesthetists program which is an additional 24-36 months depending on the program... so I'd be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist before I turned 40, which isn't so bad.

I've got to make my decision quickly because I have to sign up for summer classes... maybe this is just what I need to do to shake things up in my life...