My Life Takes a New Direction!

Wow….my life feels like it’s in complete upheaval. In all honesty, there is some truth to that statement. I loved my time in Arizona last year; I made friends and connected to a church…basically, I didn’t realize that I was putting down roots until I left. After six months, I returned for a visit over Easter weekend, and it felt like I was back home. As I started talking to my former roommate, she told me there might be a job opportunity to join her company as a hospice case manager. I never thought I wanted to be a hospice nurse, but the more I thought about it, the more it sounded appealing. I’m burned out from working in the ICU, and the pandemic hasn’t helped. 

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this might just be the opportunity for me to change up my career. I’ve been thinking about changing for a while but hadn’t decided on what or where to go. After a couple of interviews and some back-and-forth discussions, I accepted the job. Now, I am moving to Arizona for a permanent position doing something I never thought I would do. Don't get me wrong, there is some anxiety involved with this. Did I make the right move? I will miss out on watching my nieces and nephews grow up; am I okay with that? What if I realize the job isn’t what I thought, or it’s not for me? Then what? I’ve packed up all my stuff and moved it 2,000 miles across the country. 

As crazy as all this is, it’s happened very quickly, and everything has fallen into place. I keep waiting for a roadblock that never happens, so I keep moving forward. My family has been supportive; they would love it if I was closer to home but understand why I’m moving. I loved working with my recruiter from the travel agency, but things are changing for him, which means things are changing for me. 

Several weeks later……………………….. 

I started this blog before I moved but never got a chance to finish and post it. Now I’ve driven across the country again, got things settled, mostly unpacked, and started the new job. This week is the completion of the second week. How do I feel? Honestly, I still feel like I’m adapting to a completely different lifestyle, but overall it feels good. Working 5 days a week is still new, and it will take a little while to get used to, but the regular hours and routine without the crazy stress of nights and high acuity patients is strangely relaxing. 

I’m still learning the job, and there is a lot that I don’t know yet. So far I think I will like it. The best part, I have Sundays off and have attended church for the last 3 weeks without having to flip my sleep schedule!!!. It may not sound like much, but I haven’t consistently attended church in years. The nights and weekends made it extremely difficult, so I usually opted to stay home and sleep instead of falling asleep at church.

Arizona is now home...and the journey continues...