Management We Need You - STAT!

Another grueling week has passed at work, and medical staff has now concluded that this is truly a crisis situation. As some have stated, "it's sink or swim time." With recent developments involving management, we are all coming to the realization that a major team effort is mandatory in order to make it through some tough times.

I recently ran across a saying by JFK that I have posted above about crises - danger/opportunity. It is obvious that some co-workers looked at the situation and saw only danger. These are the few who have "abandoned ship" or moved on to "greener pastures." The remaining staff have apparently seen this as the opposite - a time full of opportunities; a chance to grow as a team.

And the team effort has been impressive! Staff members have been volunteering for extra shifts to help with coverage. Communication has vastly improved. Laughter & smiles are returning. Overall there seems to be a sense of relief and a willingness to "make it work." It has been refreshing to see the "old team" back in action.

It has been an unfortunate chain of events, but has resulted in a better team environment. Hopefully this next year brings even more opportunities for growth & team development. I believe that the only place to go from here is UP.

Peace, Love & Happiness in tough times!

Dream Deferred

"What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?"

~L. Hughes

Sometimes, no matter how many times you think it, wish it, or say it....delusional dreams will not become reality. I know this may pop a few bubbles out there, but facts are facts and life continues on.

Fun Times...

...at the kitty shelter! Here are some of my favorite pics from recent adventures with Miss A, Ms. K, and Ms. S:

Eleanor (a.k.a. Buffy)

Bogart ("Bo")

Moose (the 27lb. resident "greeter")

New babies headed to a foster home

Untying a shoe in the "geriatric" kitty room

And one of my faves....Moose's brother, so regal!

Peace, Love & Happiness to all!

Really?!

I am still stunned that one would randomly quit a decent job with the current job market the way it is....over one tiny little evening shift. Really?! And the logic went something like this: "well, if I have enough warning I can have my family make sure my child gets to all of the events, gets fed, etc. I just know the schedule will get worse. I was hired to work days only, no weekends or evenings! I mean, if I end up getting a job with an evening shift, at least I will have time to arrange childcare with my family."

What??? Did you just say that you would rather risk having to work full time EVENINGS than work 1 single evening a MONTH away?! And all this in the name of childcare for your 17-year-old. Can your 17-year-old not make a PB & J for one night & make sure he/she makes it in to bed one night?! I just wonder what is going to happen when this kid graduates & goes away to college next Fall.

Guess you gotta do what's best for you...and it really doesn't have to make logical sense to the general public. Here's to quirky characters!

Peace, Love & Happiness!

A Happy Birthday!

What a fun time spent celebrating my Love's birthday with family & friends! We couldn't have asked for a more entertaining evening! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!

Peace, Love & Happiness!
~Vix

What If?

There it sits, wind-blown, sun-bleached, alone. The silk flowers wilting from weather and age. The paint peeling, wood warping, and leaning slightly to the left. The lone cross casting shadows on the dried grass as the rush hour traffic zooms by. A memorial of one lost, not forgotten.

You've all seen one, planted alongside a winding mountain road, posted on a telephone pole near busy intersection. A wooden cross, a sign, a painted white bicycle...a memorial placed at the site where someone lost their life. As you drive by, do you ever say a silent prayer for the lost soul or wonder how their family is doing? Maybe you contemplate your own life and what your family might do if they lost you. But have you ever wondered 'what if...?"

What if we placed memorial symbols in every place where someone has passed away? I know, it's completely morbid, but so is the idea of repeatedly visiting the exact site of your loved one's sudden death! Can you imagine meeting up with your realtor to find a new house & walking in to find a memorial posted on the wall marking the room where someone passed away earlier in the year? Or maybe getting admitted to the hospital for a minor procedure, and the room you're admitted to has a big ole cross on the wall (or maybe a few) denoting that someone died in that room? Would that boost your confidence in your doctor or your chances of making it out of that room alive?

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that we need to remember those who have passed before us. But, that does not mean that I want to go to my grandmother's house and sit in her living room, on a hospital bed, remembering those last few moments of her life. I want to remember her living life! I want to remember those vibrant moments that made me smile, laugh, cry. I would rather not focus on those last few moments, as her emaciated body struggled with her last breath.

So, the next time you're in the grocery store, at the bank, or walking into your public library....just imagine if we plastered the world with memorial plaques any place where someone took their last breath! Just wondering "what if...?"