Lessons from night-shift

Below is a photo from an early morning run a few weeks ago. Speaking of mornings...

If you haven't heard, I'm transitioning to dayshift at the hospital! I finished my last night shift last week, had several days off, and then I work my first dayshift tomorrow. I'm anticipating a huge transition, both in my work and my home life. I'll miss my night crew dearly, but a less-sleepy-all-the-time version of Andrea will definitely be a good thing. Also, I'm excited to get to know everyone on dayshift better. In circumstances such as these, I tend to process them best by looking back and looking forward. Here are lessons I learned the year I spent on nightshift:

• Rest is vital to quality of life. Speaking specifically to my task-oriented self, sleep is not a waste of time.
• Any time is a good time for meaningful interactions or encouragement to my patients or coworkers. Not one hour of the day should be borne without hope or encouragement.
• Get up and help. Keep your eyes open for ways you can serve those around you.
• Brownies taste as good (or better) at 3AM than any other time, but I still need to exhibit self control (duh)
• I was not created to rely on my own strength in the midst of trying circumstances or physical exhaustion. I need Jesus every hour of every day and night.

Looking forward, I'm anticipating:

• Always, always sleeping at night (yay!), plus more consistency in my schedule
• Seeing Nicholas more in the mornings and evenings
• Meal-planning for super easy, quick suppers after a shift at the hospital (probably lots of leftovers that can easily be re-heated)
• Still working really hard (because regardless of the time of day, nursing is hard work)
• A lot of unknown

Although I am a "planner," that last bullet point is key. As with anything else in life, we can only plan for and anticipate so much. I'll use the things I learned on nightshift in my dayshift work, too. I'll do my best to approach each day with joy, as much sleep as I can get, encouragement to those around me, and a healthy dose of prayer. Lord willing, He'll use me for His glory exactly where He has me in this stage of life. And next time you see me, I'll probably be more awake. ;)