Real life

I am 24 years old. I have gone through grades K-12, gotten my BA in 4 years and BSN in 18 months. I have been out of college for exactly one year now. I have been working as an RN in the local ER for slightly less than one year. And I am just now discovering how different the real world is from school.

For all of my previous years in school, when the holiday season rolls around the universities shut down and you get to spend that time with your families. Even working part time jobs during those breaks still allows for sufficient quality family time. I have now discovered that the real world is slightly different.

I work this Christmas. When many others are rushing downstairs to open presents, I'll be finishing a graveyard shift. When families are heading off to the candlelight church services, I'll be arriving at the ER with a giant cup of coffee. When my friends hang out around their trees with a cup of hot chocolate, I'll hang out around the accudose with my now half-empty giant cup of coffee.

So what will this workday end up like? Will it reflect the wishful Christmas spirit, where good things happen and miracles occur and people pull through and everyone is happy? Or will it be like any other day in the ER, where people cry and lives are disrupted and I have to hide tears while being strong for others? Or will it be a combination of both, where people hear the worst news of their lives but somehow find that extra strength to get through it?

I'm really not sure what to expect, but I hope it isn't too bad. I want to be optimistic but as I've already learned, real life isn't always generous. At any rate, I'll find out next week. And as this is only my first of many working holidays, I'm sure I'll find out again and again and again over the years.