A Life Designed With Intention

In my early 30s I went back to school to become a nurse. I was very early into my journey of discovering who the actual “me” was inhabiting the body that I live in. I didn’t know much about my boundaries, or things that I needed to feel good and whole, and I really didn’t have goals other than ones that were presented to me as how life should work. I had already been to school and had my Masters in forensic science and I was working what was considered a stable state job that others felt I was fortunate to have. But it didn’t feel right. So I did what I thought the only way out was at the time, I went back for more school. I obtained my Associates in nursing and after working for less than a year on a med surg floor at a hospital, I enrolled again in school to get my Masters in nursing so that I could climb the coveted career ladder.

During this time I also began to take more of an interest in my health as I learned about the human body in more depth. I enrolled in some weekend seminars on holistic nursing that helped shape my expanding field of self care and personal development. At one of these seminars we were given an article on reconnecting with a Sabbath rest. Its tone was not overly religious but centered more on the importance of taking Sunday as a day to slow down, enjoy the quiet, spend time with those you love, and to allow time for your mind and body to reconnect. I reread this article several times because it resonated with me in a profound way.

After several years working in nursing leadership, I decided that sliding down the career ladder was more the path for me instead of climbing up. I am still a nurse but I have shed the desire to trade fancy titles for my time. I now move in the direction that feels right for the season of life that I am in. I have school aged children and I want to be present in their lives on a daily basis so for right now I work a full time job that requires a nursing license and is mostly home based. This allows me to be home with my kids before school each day and on most days when they return home. I also work as a hospice nurse on the side because I truly love end of life care. This combination works best for me though I continue to work on the downward slide so that some day I can truly own my time. During all of my nursing career shifts, I have carried with me the story of the Sabbath and many other tools I learned in my holistic nursing courses.

My Sundays are not always slow and quiet. And to tell you the truth, I haven’t taken a Sabbath rest in months. Sometimes I’m running errands or picking up hospice work on the weekends but I deliberately chose to allow for a full weekend of being home after the busy Christmas holiday. I woke up this morning with thoughts about the Sabbath rest article and set the intention that today was not going to be planned out, it would simply unfold in a way that felt nurturing and right for me. I did not accomplish anything in the house other than laundry but I read, I stretched, I drank tea, I took a walk with my 9-year old son and we did a walking meditation and practiced gratitude, I made cupcakes for my mom’s 73rd birthday and I read to my kids tonight before bed. I am most thankful for the pause in the busy pace of life that I was able to experience this weekend and especially today. I will go to bed tonight feeling both refreshed and lighter in spirit.

I encourage you to take a pause, or Sabbath rest, as life allows. It is beautiful, cozy and magical as you let go of expectations of accomplishments and settle into just being with the parts of life that make you feel whole and happy.