Jacqueline Vance, RN

Like many people, I recently watched “the slaughter” — better known as Super Bowl XLVIII. OK, to be honest, my favorite, the Ravens, were not playing so my heart wasn’t in the game. But I at least wanted a game, not a landslide!

The Grey Goose eased the pain, and the commercials (let’s face it, the real reason many people watch the BIG game) entertained me. I’m a sucker for puppies. Put a puppy in a commercial and I’m giving you my attention.

But put Beckham in almost nothing, and all the puppies in the word couldn’t get my attention. (If you saw that ad Sunday, ladies and gentlemen, you know what I mean!)

So what in the world does this have to do with nursing or long-term care? What I want you to do is look on the positive side of things. Let’s face it: Sometimes life at work can be like the Denver Broncos at this year’s Super Bowl. And if we let that get in the way, we’re going to feel like Peyton Manning on his way to the locker room.

But I’m a “look around and smell the roses” kind of gal (or look at the puppies or catch a glimpse of Beckham). Sometimes that’s the only way to get through the day. 

And if the day truly doesn’t have any roses whatsoever — not even one friendly face, or something tasty waiting for lunch — then my advice is to just concentrate on your equivalent of puppies or Beckham. It really works. We have a choice whether or not we want our day to be a landslide, at least mentally.

Anyway, I think I’m going to grab two aspirins (still some lingering morning after “issues”) and go search for puppy commercials on YouTube. That ought to help.

Just keeping it real,

Nurse Jackie

The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, a 2012 APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real life long-term care nurse who is also the director of clinical affairs for the American Medical Directors Association. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. She has not starred in her own national television series — yet. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.