Bigger or Better: Life outside of Texas

My sister Rachel and I have different perspectives--like basically all the time. We had a hard time with that growing up, but the more I learn the more I realize I don't know anything [someday I hope to reach the realization that I know nothing. haha jk]. So I need to concede that she is right--that daily duties mean more than epic quests. That realization came while working with a patient whose wife was suspicious of the medical team's every action. I had been (somewhat) warned of this, and thankfully when I saw her I introduced myself as her husband's nurse (Big Win for a Small Act!). But when a lack of medical literacy led to a misunderstanding, I was unable to stand down to her anger. I didn't shout (I'm not a shouter), I didn't use a negative tone of voice; but I did question her logic and, ultimately, not acknowledge her feelings.    Side story: I am a fighter. Usually not literally. But if some threat confronts me, I will face it head-on and work to te...

And I am a person. A definitely quirky, peculiar person. God would be proud. The other day at work, I ran into one of the pulmonary nurse practitioners who had been my clinical coach when I first started working. She was wearing a neon pink/orange (maybe salmon?) top, and I remarked to her that it made her look tan. This would be perfectly fine...except she's African-American. **face palm** It didn't occur to me until later that my comment was incredibly stupid. I do dumb things, too. Yesterday I was getting impatient with the slow cooking of my stove-top frittata, so I stuck the skillet in the oven. That actually wasn't dumb; nor was the burn I got on my hand from touching the skillet handle (careless, but not dumb ). No, the dumb part was when I went to practice intubating mannikins and puncturing their epidural spaces and inserting central lines (IV catheters that are in the big veins in the femoral and subclavian area), but my hand still hurt, so I would periodic...