Holiday greetings from your editor. As we are in the midst of one of the busiest times of the year, I urge each of you to take some time for yourself. As critical care nurses we give our all on a daily basis for our patients and our families. I encourage each of you to find some time for yourself-take a mental health break.

Last year I authored an editorial about nurse managers. It was a humorous assessment of some the tasks nurse managers must do that may not necessarily make sense to us. It was also meant to show respect for nurse managers. Theirs is a difficult job, one I could never do. I expected to receive negative comments about the column but received none. In fact, the article generated many compliments (even from nurse managers).

This month's "A Closing Word" is about nurse editors. Approximately 6 years ago I decided I wanted to become an editor. After many years of challenging work, support from many peers and other colleagues, and encouragement from family and friends, my wish came true. I became an editor in 2002. Most days I love being an editor, but there are those other days. The adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it," holds many truths. The following are a few examples of my life as an editor during the past 3 years:

1. One author asked why her article was rejected. She said it had already been published in two other journals. I explained the concept of plagiarism.

2. I have received manuscripts written in foreign languages. I took Latin in high school, but that is the limit of my foreign language skills. In many cases, I had no idea what the article was about. Thankfully, the authors spoke English and resubmitted their texts written in English.

3. An author submitted a 98-page manuscript (her thesis), which she wanted published in its entirety. After discussing the matter with her, she withdrew her submission from DCCN.

4. An author wanted to write an article about a topic that had absolutely nothing to do with critical care. I explained that DCCN was a critical care journal that did not publish articles related to her particular topic. I offered to help her alter the article to be relevant to critical care. She refused the offer, so I referred her to several journals that might be appropriate for her topic.

5. Rejecting an article is always difficult. I know that a lot of time and effort are put into the writing of an article. When an article is rejected, I always provide the constructive criticism and make suggestions on how the article could be rewritten and then resubmitted. The majority (though not all) of authors understand this and are willing to accept the suggestions. Some days I wonder if I am a masochist at heart.

6. One of my students asked me if I liked being an editor and living in an ivory tower. I explained I liked the role of editor. As far as the ivory tower, I have not found it yet. Believe it or not, most editors keep very current with the content in their area of expertise.

7. One author submitted a manuscript and wanted it published in the next issue so she could receive a promotion at work. I explained the peer process of reviewing each article and that the process takes time. She became very upset, and spoke to me in language more suited for an R-rated movie. I never heard from her again.

8. Editors sometimes develop writers' block. I have threatened to throw my computer out my patio door into my hot tub and jump in after it. Thankfully, it was just a momentary lapse into insanity.

9. Computers can be a friend or an enemy. Have you ever been in the process of writing an article when the hard drive crashes? Also, I live in tornado alley, and on several occasions have been working on the computer when during a power loss. Not fun at all.

10. Writing at 3:00 AM. This can be a good time for some editors to work. Others think writing in the middle of the night is crazy. I admit that I've had moments of craziness, but these moments usually pass. I think I began writing mostly at night after my daughter was born. I would write after she went to bed.

11. You want it when? Usually followed by laughter. This is not a good sign, but we all have deadlines. I hope you have enjoyed some of the material in this column and maybe even laughed at some of it. We all need a little humor in our life. I wish all of you and your families a happy, safe, healthy holiday season and 2005.