Summer Days & Thoughts

By Paula M on August 12, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

In my locale of the world the temperature has been hot though it does not compare to what some in the world have faced–extreme weather, terrorism, strife and war, famine, fire and or flood. A bright spot is the Olympics are underway and the athleticism is always amazing, how a human body can be trained to perform at such a razor’s edge; that a blink can be the difference between winning or losing.

The Olympics celebrate speed, daring, dedication, effort, and show us the difference between champion and participant is very narrow. Competition is an interesting sidebar as the practice of being a nurse has my leisure time more focused on enjoying the experience not driven to win. Opportunities to compete have revealed that I can focus, though likely a skill cultivated more in the myriad of details of critical care; and the skills of sportsmanship and being graceful in defeat fit into my toolkit of leadership behaviour–sure I can envision pretty much anything, having the certainty indeed the unwavering drive to capture victory is not the primary focus.

Okay some of you will say bowling and golf are not pure sports–daresay walk 18 holes on a day with a high humidex and you will know your body worked out. Well it is for me and though some say the white ball spoils a good walk–there are the opportunities to revisit childhood those summer days hot and slow moving, lasted forever and play time was a primary pursuit. Now it’s about carving a few hours here and there, alas adulthood can be a limitation.

My “sports” are both social in nature; in addition to being outside for a time one can also spend time with friends and share some laughs, that is good personal therapy indeed. Fortunately I enjoy my status as a casual athlete I don’t earn my living playing golf, I do a fair job striving to be the nurse you would want to work with. For that dimension my practice bag has knowledge, skills, leadership, political skills, and teammates. There are even the equivalent of coaches, well senior leadership, and that is a great advantage to know someone is leading the team. Enjoy what’s left of the summer and may calm conditions be the norm. Namaste.

Categories: Uncategorized