Day 12 of Unemployment: Things I have discovered thus far.

Well, here I am. I'm in my agency apartment with my dog and all of my belongings. Twiddling my thumbs...Looking around...with nothing on my agenda for...days. There's no where I have to be, nothing I have to do, for the first time in my life since I was a teen. I've had a full time job since I was 16. I went to the school board in high school and got a piece of paper signed so that I could work more hours than the laws allowed. As an adult, I have always worked overtime and offered to pick up shifts. I am a machine. Then, that whole "fired" thing happened.

I should start off by saying that my outlook is bright and sunny. My agency found a new assignment for me in 14 hours. Literally. My recruiter submitted me to five hospitals at 0830 that Monday morning, and at 2130 that night I had a phone interview with an ICU night manager. By 2230 she had called the agency and left a message that she would love to have me. Hear that people? LOVE. I certainly felt vindicated...then I checked my bank account. My victory balloon promptly deflated.  The realization that I would go an entire 4 weeks without a paycheck was more horrifying than an unannounced JCAHO inspection.  From that moment on, I went into financial hoarder mode. I prepared the apartment like a three week blizzard was coming. I stocked the cabinets with dry goods, bread and milk. I bought some extra dog food for my pug, Lucy, and withdrew $100 cash to keep in my sock drawer for an absolute emergency (wine is not an emergency). I was finally the poster child for preparation, so I went to bed.

Fast forward 12 days.  Since I was cancelled, these are the things I have discovered:

1)  I can watch 4.6 episodes of terrible reality television on my iPhone before it dies.

2)  It is actually possible for your dog to get tired of you. Lucy the Pug now resides under the side table in the living room despite my pleas for attention.

3)  If you walk in a circular pattern through my apartment 36 times, it equals 0.15 miles, according to Google Maps AND Apple Maps within 0.01 accuracy. 

4)  The night shift employees at Planet Fitness gym are NOT my friends at 0200,  they don't get paid enough.

5)  You can use a tea bag about 2.5 times before you actually HAVE to throw it away. It's 0.5 the third time because the taste really is questionable at that point. 

You get my point. I've had a lot of extra time on my hands. Time that would normally be filled with codes, poop, blood, and other delightful, fun things. Somewhere in that 12 days though, I happened upon some stuff that was unexpected:

1)  When you're on the road and you know no one within a 200 mile radius, you and your journal are your best friends. As a travel nurse, you have the unique opportunity to be whoever you want to be every 13 weeks. Don't waste it. Spend time discovering YOU. Want people to call you by your middle name for a while? Introduce yourself that way on your first day.  Want to chop all of your hair off and wear mostly black? Do it! (Stay professional!)  Just think of the freedom. It's terrifying and exhilarating.

2)  When implementing a five year plan, it only works if you actually follow it. There are thousands of "on-line only" BSN programs. I currently hold an Associate's degree in nursing which has gotten me very far. However, to really move yourself up the RN ladder, your bachelor's degree is the next step.  Turns out if you ask nicely, some of the schools will waive their application fee for various reasons.  Just do your research and make sure the school is reputable and accredited.  Thanks to my job's demise, I currently start school at the end of August.  Also, depending on your specialty, there are certifications that you can test for that usually turn into a pay increase. I am currently studying for my CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse), but there is one for Med Surg, OR, ER, and various other departments. 

3)  Learning never stops. When it does, you're in trouble. I have learned to how to make a penny stretch three different ways, and that I don't die because I failed to have my daily mocha-skinny-large-extra foam-half-caff monstrosity at $4.75 a cup. Between previously selling all of my belongings and now being essentially penniless, I realized why Tibetan Monks are so at peace. Ok! Maybe that last sentence was a little dramatic, but you get the point: Appreciate what you have when you have it. There are practical lessons also. I found out that you can wash ziploc bags in the dishwasher and they change into new, re-usable ziploc bags. Surprisingly, it turns out I don't have to have the most expensive toilet paper...it all ends up the same place. My ass is none the wiser. 

See? This is me, turning lemons into lemonade. Nurses love lemonade (with vodka).

I leave in a few days for my new city, my new apartment, and my new assignment. I will get another paycheck in couple of weeks, and my life will eventually return to normal once I catch up a few things. One thing will be very, very different though. Me. I now know what it feels like to be completely alone and completely out of options. I barely evaded being homeless and unemployed. I never want to feel that way ever again. It's like a bad dream. So when my new job starts on Monday, I plan to show up with spankin' new Big Girl Panties on(Hot pink! With Lace!). I can't wait!

Oh, and because I have looked for an excuse for three entries now, here's my pug Lucy that I mentioned earlier:

She's truly my best friend.