Every year I promise myself I am going to do a better job getting ready for the holidays. And every year of late, as time races from Thanksgiving to New Years, I find myself deciding what I skip "just this year" without sacrificing too much tradition. It seems like I was able to get more done when I was younger, but maybe that is just how I like to remember things. The shopping, the cookies, the tree, the decorating, cards-the list goes on. Combined with work, family obligations, and all the other things that seem to collide in the last months of the year, it makes for the busiest time of the year.
The challenge becomes how to balance all the activities of the season and still maintain our equilibrium. It becomes a matter of setting priorities, something that nurses do well. We do it in our work, often without having to think about it. When it comes to our personal life, it is not always so easy. As nurses, our nature leads us to put others first, to make sure their needs are met before ours. This time of year, that means we are making plans and preparations so that others will have a great holiday season, and have what they need for the new year. But what about what us? What do we need to make us ready for the new year.
What do we do to help sp>port our professional life, to enhance orthopaedic nursing that helps us be prepared to tackle what the new year has in store for us? For me, NAON has been the answer. It has been a source of education and information about orthopaedic nursing for me. I have met and become friends with nurses not only in other states, but in other countries as well. It has given me opportunities to enhance my work life, as well as my personal life. Because of these things, it has become a priority for me.
As we move through this busiest time of the year, I hope you are able to enjoy yourself and the season. It is a time of renewal and growth, celebrating the end of 1 year and planning for the next. Your NAON renewal information will be coming soon, and it may get caught up in the other things filling your mailbox. Hopefully you will see it as a priority, as something that is important for you as you plan for 2009. That when you made your to-do lists, or your New Year's resolutions, NAON was included. I know it is for me.
Have a wonderful holiday season. I wish you and your families health, happiness, and peace, and look forward to seeing you at NAON's Congress in Tampa next May, where we will continue to Unite the World of Orthopaedics.