What I Learned in May

1. Triage- I had never thought of the meaning of triage. It was always something that I just knew to do... in some cases, take care of the sickest, first. In cases of mass casualties, take care of those who you believe have the best prognosis first... and mark the other ones. I learned when reading Five Days of Memorial that the term for triage came from the French, and was actually used to talk about sorting coffee beans. Napoleon started using the term to describe the sorting of casualties, and it is now a common practice in the healthcare field today.

2. May always brings graduation, and with graduation, often, the pinning ceremony. This usually corresponds with National Nurses Week, which centers around Florence Nightingale's birthday. It's fitting that new graduates often recite the Nightingale Pledge. This year, as I listened to the words of the pledge, I am reminded again what a great honor it is to be a nurse. I also learned a new word (because, as you know if you read my blog, I'm all about learning a new word this year!) Deleterious, as in deleterious- "I will abstain from whatever is deleterious", which means harmful or injurious.

3. The University of Kentucky trains service dogs. As we sat through Kami's graduation ceremony, some students brought their dogs with them. They were often dressed in caps and gowns, and ac couple even accepted the diploma in their mouth and shook the President's hand. I couldn't help but think that was a lot of service dogs, and thought about the uses for these dogs. When I mentioned it to Kami, she laughed and said, "No, those dogs are service dogs that will go to someone. Those are their student trainers."  Just precious, and a huge thank you to those trainers and their trainees!!!http://www.wildcatservicedogs.org/our-dogs/our-graduates/

4. Life is better when surrounded by family. Sunshine. Laughter. Smores. Hiking up the hill even though you're short of breath. Keeping on the next day even when your muscles ache. Memorial Day Weekend with some of my Arrowood cousins was delightful; Robinson Forest, the horses at the Elk View (well, off road at the Elk View), smores around an open fire... and then the lake and Natural Bridge with Wallace, Caleb, and Lauren Green, and Nana and Papaw and Will and Greg and Regina.

5. The climb can be rough... but the view at the end is worth it. Even if the fire tower does shake a little when you're going up...

Linking up with Emily Freeman at www.chattingatthesky.com today.