Where have the front porches gone?
Nursing unit windows don't open anymore.
The innocent summer days of the past are no
more. But, here's how to have
stress-relieving fun,
anyway!
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Television ads still try to induce the idea
of peace, tranquility, and stressless living
by showing us pictures of people lazing in a
hammock in the back yard. Or, sipping ice
tea while rocking on the front porch. And,
ahhh, remember the smell of fresh air wafting
in the window on a summer evening, driving
out the heat of the day?
But, those are little more than far-off
fantasies in these days of houses without
front porches, and nursing units with
hermetically-sealed windows. Still, there
are things we can do this summer that are
stress-reliving, simple, inexpensive, and
designed to get us back in touch with
gentler, times and simpler lives.
- Go get an ice cream cone...but do it at
one of those drive-up ice cream stands just
outside of town. Sit still, lick the cone,
taste the cone! Slowly. Savor it.
S-l-o-w-l-y . . . .
- Forget the 20-Plex MovieLand at the Mall,
just for one day. Instead, grab a bathing
suit and an old towel. Pack a picnic. Put
some stuff in there that you might have
enjoyed as a kid. Be sure to take some stuff
that's not good for you, potato salad, potato
chips, cheese-doodles, yummies like that!
Drive out to the state park you haven't
visited in five years, lay down under a tree,
look at the clouds.
If it's warm enough, climb into the dammed-up
creek with the cute college-age lifeguards,
and swim a bit. Or, at least, kick your
sneakers off and wade. Feel the water around
your toes and ankles. F-e-e-l it!
-
Go out to the local small airport where the
Piper Cubs and the Cessenas are. There won't
be any security checkpoints. Talk the the
people who fly there. They won't have
uniforms. They'll probably be wearing jeans
or cutoffs, and will look a lot like you. I
mean, talk with them! Ask how they
got interested in flying. Is there a lot to
know? How do you change the oil? What's it
like to see their own house from the sky? To
these people flying is a hobby and people
love to talk about their hobbies. Who knows?
You might even be invited to go up for a
spin! (One or two may be cranky. That's why
they fly -- to go out to the airport and shed
their stress. Don't take it personally.
They haven't decompressed yet. But, keep
trying...someone there will be chatty...I
promise!
- Build a campfire. Cook something over
the flames. (Search Yahoo! for "Smores" and
you'll get a chat group with some fun results
and info!)
- Test drive the car you always dreamed
about, but never bought. If you have a Ford,
get a salesperson to give you a spin in a
BMW. If you have a BMW, try a Ford
convertible. Or, just for a giggle, hop into
one of those jacked-up "big wheelie" things
and bop around down for a few minutes,
pretending you're in a Hollywood movie. Be
sure to stop by one of your friends' houses!
- Go to one of your favorite restaurants
and ask the manager to give you a quick tour
of the kitchen. The servers get the
tips...the kitchen staff gets to work in the
heat over steaming kettles and sizzling
grills. They'll go home and tell their
families that someone actually cared about
what they do and how they do it!
- Rent a canoe for an afternoon.
- You're a nurse. Ask the ambulance
crew to actually let you inside and see the
gizmos they have there. Swap stories. Make
a new friend for about a half an hour. Who
knows...? You should be aware that these
ambulance people want you to like them and
respect them. But, they (painfully) realize
that we nursing and hospital people
disdainfully think of them as "doctor and
nurse wannabes" and, if you show an interest
in their world, they will be very, very
grateful.
- Ditto with the fire department.
Haven't been there since that 6th grade field
trip have you? Maybe they will let you put
on a helmet and blow the siren. Do
not pretend to be "too old for
that kind of stuff" -- be a kid for a few
minutes!
- Do the opposite of what you
usually do one weekend soon. If you're a
Lake Person, find a mountain or a hill town.
If you're a Mountain Person, find a Lake
Town. If you're a Tennis Person, go zing a
few balls off the walls at the local driving
range. If you're a Golf Person, take a
tennis lesson (the first one is often free!)
- Go "apply" for a job in the last place
on earth you'd ever want to work. Hate
telemarketers? Great! Go apply for a job in
one of their pressure-cooker sales offices.
Sit down with a headset on...let them tell
you what it's like...listen to the stories
about the unbelievable things people like
you and me have told them a second before
slamming the phone down in their ears.
You'll still hate telemarketers, but you'll
have a different view of that world, and a
few giggles along the way!
- Go fly a kite. I mean, literally.
When was the last time you did that!?
- Go to the local downtown library, the
big one, with the granite pillars out front.
There's no charge, no one will bother you.
(Funny how you'll just be able to wander
anywhere you want and look at anything you
want and touch anything you want, and it's
totally okay!) Don't go in there with the
idea that you have to accomplish anything.
Just go in and see what that universe looks
like from the inside!
- Stop and smell the flowers!
Literally. Call the local park and arrange
to meet their flower person, or tree expert,
and they'll probably love to give you a few
minutes, showing you their pride-and-joy
plants, equipment, etc. Or, do the same
thing at a local florist shop.
- Got a local public telescope in your
town? (Try the college?) Those people love
to tell you about craters on the moon, or
about how there "might" be life on Star
System #222059968bh3! Or, just put a blanket
on the ground in your black yard, lay down
after dark, and gaze at the stars, being
drawn into them, like you did as a kid!
- Are you really uptight? Get
a bed sheet and drape it over a couple of
dining room chairs, and "camp" out in your
own little "tent" like you did when you were
ten. Only this time you get to bring French
bread and cheese, and a bottle of wine!
- Next time it rains, go jump in a
pubble and get your shoes wet. Then, call
your Mom and tell her what you did and
there's nothing she can do about it! (Hee
hee!)
I know, lots of these things seem silly,
childish, totally unlike the "mature"
(uptight) you. Precisely!
Email me with your own idea, okay?
Great!
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Internet Site copyright 1999 by Nursing Jobs Magazine
and its publisher, The Community Resource Foundation, Inc., Melody A. Oie, CEO. All rights reserved.
