Perseverance. Oh my.

I realized this week that perseverance is required more for this semester than I thought. I realized that I need a high level of perseverance to go to an 8 hour shift of clinical (essentially a work day), come home and complete 6 to 7 hours of homework. It would be so much easier to push all the homework out the window, either figuratively or literally.

...of course, that's until a week later when I'm behind and buried under more reading than I can imagine.

I have enjoyed my classes, especially since each class is so applicable and intertwined at this point. Medications and anatomy talked about in one class are also covered in another class, and applied in clinicals. It's an exciting change from solid lecture. But it also comes with the responsibility to learn and master a lot of information... which can lead to information overload... thus the lack of motivation to sit and study for hours after a full day of classes or clinicals.

Perseverance means continuing to study even when I feel like I can't... perseverance means only taking a 15 or 30 minute nap when I would rather spend 3 afternoon hours in dreamland... perseverance means working ahead even though the syllabus says that reading assignment isn't due for another 2 days... perseverance means limiting an email/Facebook/blog break to 10 minutes instead of a half hour...

So, in hopes of guarding against feeling completely overwhelmed, I will need to work consistently during the entire week, and manage my time wisely on weekends too. I really want to keep Sundays as a day of rest, so I'm hoping that will provide an extra ounce of motivation.

At the same time though I don't want to burn out. So I'm trying to include those things that will provide some relaxation... trying to leave the dorm room door open in case someone needs to talk... trying to be efficient in completing my work so that I can talk or listen to someone on spur-of-the-moment notice without feeling distracted by the need to do homework... trying to manage my time so that I can make time for journaling, Jesus and prayer.

Speaking of prayer... I would appreciate prayer for a decision I will need to make in the near future (i.e. as soon as possible). As if school wasn't enough to think about, I also need to work through my plans for next summer.

I am trying to decide between doing a nursing externship at a local hospital or going to Peru to serve with a missionary family for about a month. In Peru I would probably have the opportunity to spend some time doing medical/nursing missions at a clinic or similar setting. The problem enlies in that the missions trip is in the middle of the summer, and the externship is 8 weeks long---so I can't do both. I'm praying and trying to weigh both options in light of the more distant future. So, I would really appreciate prayers for clarity about where God wants me to serve next summer. Also, I'd appreciate any thoughts or opinions or suggestions any of you have on whether I should go to Peru or stay at home and do the externship.


Thanks for listening. and thanks for your thoughts too; I like reading them! : )