13 Weeks...

Believe it or not, I am at the end of the 13 week contract which set a whole new life in motion for me. In so many ways it seems as though I just started on this journey. In other ways, I have now settled into a life that fits as comfortably as a pair of worn slippers. In all ways, I am glad that I took the risk, followed my heart, and stepped out of my uncomfortable comfort zone.

The 13 weeks have flown by. What seemed like more than enough time to see and do all that I hoped to see and do here in the mountains of Tennessee now seems like hardly enough time to learn what there is to do and where to do it let alone accomplish it all.

The drill for a travel RN is that about halfway through a contract, the recruiter and the RN begin talking about what to do/ where to go next. So, back in the early part of November, "my new best friend, the recruiter Jim" and I started such a conversation. Keeping in mind that when I first investigated this whole way of living and working it seemed as though there were endless jobs here in TN, I first asked to be relocated to some place that would be closer driving distance to Caleb. Granted, 90 minutes is far better than 13 hours away as I was in Florida but still, that makes for a chunk of time I could otherwise be spending with him instead of playing musical lanes with the truckers on the interstate!

All hopes of locating to the Knoxville area were dashed when I learned that for the most part that city uses a local staffing agency to deal with short term staffing needs and travel RNs are a thing of the past there.

Next, "Recruiter Jim" and I started talking about what other states were close enough if I found a job on the border closest to TN... the best bet seemed to be a place called Franklin NC... also 90 minutes from Caleb who lives in Sevierville TN (home of Dollywood and many other attractions) So, in the midst of autumn's splendor, I took a daytrip to this place called Franklin. What a quaint little town! And so picturesque! I fell in love with it immediately. Apparently so did several other nurses and one of them got the job before my contract expired here in Kingsport.

By the time end of November rolled around, I was looking at the bleak possibility of having to return to Florida if this place didn't renew my contract. And, for the record, they had been telling me for weeks that their goal was to be "traveler free" by January 1. Reason? We travel RN's are tough on a budget! They of course offered me a job as a staff nurse but.... I am not ready to commit to that. Besides, if I were going to do that I would go to Knoxville or even Sevierville to be right near Caleb.

It was the proverbial eleventh hour when I got a call from Jim saying that the hospital here wanted to renew my contract if I was still interested in doing so. Why? The nursing shortage is alive and well (unfortunately) here in Kingsport TN just like it is in so many other places across the country. And so, I am happy to announce that I am staying in Tennessee for another 13 week contract which will end on March 17th - St Patty's Day - and since I am Irish, I guess that is the luck of the Irish indeed!

Tim and I have been in daily conversation about the prospects of what next? He still isn't ready to scale back his hours or to commit to any real change in his lifestyle or our relationship. I am not ready to go back to a place that just seemed to drain so much of my life energy from me. That all being said, a real distinct possibility has presented itself. My dear friend and sister of my soul, AnnMarie is encouraging me to take a 13 week contract in Arizona in the spring. She lives in Green Valley which is near Tucson.

My recruiter tells me that the company I am working for "has a very strong presence in New Mexico and Arizona" SO, I am going to go for it! I have begun the process of applying for a nursing license in Arizona and already have my recruiter planning ahead for springtime in Arizona.

Now, I am the first to admit that it is so NOT ME to be wanting to pick up and move hither and yon. As AnnMarie says, I am a "nester" by nature. But, I am also experiencing the freedom of a woman who is finally realizing who she is, what is important in life and how to acheive happiness. I am living life in a way I have never given myself permission to do... for me!
I have reminded myself that going to Arizona for 13 weeks means being away from Caleb for that long. But I have also reminded myself that I can always come back to the Tennessee area in the summer when he is out of school and remain here in the fall again..... unless by that time life proves that something/somewhere else is a better choice for me.

It is nice to have the freedom and flexibility to do this travel nurse thing... It is nice to know that no matter where I work I am appreciated. It is nice to come home to my kitties and the peace and quiet that I used to only long for but never get. It is nice to begin to experience life on my terms instead of everyone else's terms. Life IS good!

Should have known better

Bet my blog readers are thinking that I have vanished from the face of the earth! Ahhh! Not so!
But, I should have known better when I decided to attempt the lofty goal set by the NaNoWriMo folks.... Not that the idea of writing a novel in one month is an impossible goal to reach - for some. BUT, for someone who is in a relatively new job and new town where autumn reigns queen of Mother Nature's court..... well.... let's just say that enjoying Mother Nature's glory won out over writing that many words in one month!

The month of November was spectacular here in Kingsport. For the first time in more than 30 years, I had a pallet of reds, golds, yellows and oranges greeting me from every vantage point. And I thought I could stay away from those to write a whole novel in one month? Ha!

So, to those of you who have written to see if I met my goal (or just wondered to yourselves) the answer is a big fat NO - But, rest assured that I did not see this as a failure. Not at all.
Rather, it was yet one more learning experience in this classroom I call my life.

I learned that giving myself permission to fail to meet such a goal is not going to ruin my integrity or my motivation to be a writer. And I learned that even if I couldn't bring myself to sit and write enough during the month of November, I still developed a keen awareness of the diligence and discipline that will be necessary to finally complete that novel that has been hanging around my desk far too long.

And just for the record, I did do more than soak up the fall colors during the month of November. For the last three weeks of November, I had one family member or another here to visit. First Tim came to visit - first time in Tennessee since driving me up here in September. We had a wonderful time together. After he left, I found myself questioning the wisdom of my being here in TN and his being in FL... But then I reminded myself that if we had been in the same location in Florida, he'd be working nearly 20 hours a day/seven days a week and I'd be lonely in Florida instead of being alone in Tennessee... and there is a HUGE difference between lonely and alone. I am now wise enough to realize that and to know that I'll choose alone in a place where I am happy over lonely in a place where I am not.

Not more than two or three days after Tim left, my youngest daughter Mandy, her husband Lee and my granddaughter KelseyRose arrived (also from Florida) We spent several days together before they headed to Virginia for Thanksgiving with his family. Then, on their way back from Virginia, they stopped again for a few days. We had a fantastic time together. And it was so refreshing to spend time with "Nan's Girl." Being so far from KelseyRose is one of the big downsides to being so far from Florida. But she and I talk on the phone almost every day and that makes a huge difference for both of us.

So, alas, no novel in the month of November but lots of good times and beautiful weather. And all of that equates to a very good month indeed!