The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Work

I currently work for Homestead Hospice. Prior to doing hospice I worked at Chandler Regional hospital. When I went into nursing I thought I would be in L&D, a dream job, but I started on telemetry and it was difficult. I dreaded most days going into work. Then a fellow co-worker of mine introduced me to the hospice company she was working for and once I started there I thought I found the perfect job for me.

Now almost a year later I realize, that although I love it at hospice, every job has pros and cons. I miss the business of the hospital and the ongoing learning environment, I don't miss the back-breaking days or the constant worry I might lose my license if I made a mistake because there wasn't time to slow down. With hospice I love the flexible hours, the time I can spend with my patients and the pay is nice too. However, the various phone calls that come in almost daily and the on-call weekends are difficult.

Today my work paid for pedicures for the nurses, it reminded me I'm lucky to have a job that recognizes it's employees. I realized afterwards that I need to focus on the good parts of work because if I focus on the bad it will start to make my life miserable. So, until the day I can quit and take on my ultimate "dream" job of being a mom, then I will try to have a more positive attitude.

I'd like to close out my post tonight with this excellent quote by Elder Todd D. Christofferson of the 12 apostles, he states, "By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires.”