So, a good friend of mine is a preschool teacher. She was telling me about a craft she did with the kids. She got these water beads, which are small marble-like beads, and had the kids put them in water.
Once hydrated, they grow 10 times in size after soaking in the water for 24 to 36 hours. Then they become these gel-filled balls of different colors that are supposed to keep the kids happy and busy for hours. Kind of like a science project they can play with.
One problem: If you squeeze them too hard or do something like bounce them against a wall, they break into a zillion little pieces that resemble colored crushed ice. So, of course, despite telling these tykes not to squish the balls or throw them against the wall, it happens!
We now are left with two different points of view. The teacher’s: “How am I going to clean up this mess and how did this project go sideways?” And the kids’: “Ooooooh, cool! Let’s all squish the balls.”
So while my friend could see only a mess, the kids saw an opportunity. The children wanted paper and school glue to make mosaics: Some of the kids gathered the pieces and started singing songs from Disney’s animated film “Frozen,” because who doesn’t want to build a snowman in August in Florida!
So how can we apply this “mess” versus “opportunity” to our lives? Think about quality improvement projects you may have led. Admit it: You had an idea in mind how you wanted the project to go before you even pulled your team together. Maybe it was a dining improvement project. You pictured white table cloths, nice dishes and flatware, cloth napkins, classical music in the background, and maybe some fake foliage to “green” the space up. A “fine dining” idea.
But the team, after meeting with the residents, went for colored tablecloths, colorful plates and flatware, big band music, home cooking-themed meals, and 1950s dinner decorations. In your mind, “Oh dear what a mess!” And in the team’s and residents’ minds, “Pure joy!”
Or have you ever lost a job and gotten really depressed only to land your dream job later? If that “mess” hadn’t happened, you may have been stuck in that other job and never found your opportunity for joy.
In other words, when things do go sideways, take a breath, pivot and try to find the opportunity.
So go ahead and squash some water balls now and then and discover what joy can come out of the mess. Just saying!
Just keeping it real,
Nurse Jackie
The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, Senior Director of Clinical Innovation and Education for Mission Health Communities, LLC and an APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real-life long-term care nurse. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.
The opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News guest submissions are the author’s and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News or its editors.
