Author: Kat

It’s ok. 

It’s ok to be unsure, to not know which path you’re supposed to take.

It’s ok to question things and not to know all the answers.

It’s ok to change your mind.

It’s never too late to change your mind.

You should never feel responsible for others’ opinions. The only opinions on your life that should truly matter are yours.

Do what makes you happy, and forget what everyone else has to say.

You are beautiful, intelligent, and worthy. You deserve every good thing this life has to offer.

Never let someone else’s doubts influence your beliefs. You are on this Earth for a purpose, and you should continue to search for that thing that makes your heart sing as long as you are able to.

You don’t get second chances, so do everything. Or nothing. Just do what makes you feel good.

If you have ever heard the words from your family members or close friends, “Just settle down already.???

If you’ve ever found yourself staring in confusion (and maybe even a little horror) at your friends settling down and having babies at the ripe age of 22 when you can’t even pick out the appropriate clothes for the season…

This is for you.

So, your friends are all settling down and starting families, and you’re slightly shocked by it all.

You haven’t found “the one??? yet, and more importantly, you don’t really care to at this point.

Sure, in the not-so-distant future, it’ll be great. But what’s wrong with living life to the fullest in the here and now?

Dating, having fun, never committing to anything serious? There’s no harm in that. You should live life when you’re young if that’s what you want to do.

To quote Carrie Bradshaw, “Maybe some women aren’t meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they can find someone just as wild to run with.???

You shouldn’t ever have to change who you are to be with someone. 

You shouldn’t ever have to tamper down on your personality because your significant other gets embarrassed.

When you’re young, life should be about the pursuit of fun, in whatever way you can find it. Whether that happens to be settling down or maybe running free without strings.  

I, personally, think that life is too short to leave any stone unturned. Be wild, be free, and maybe… you’ll find someone just as wild and free to run with you.

And if you don’t? That’s just grand too.

After all, your most important and significant relationship is with yourself.

An Open Letter to God

Thank you.

Thank you for loving a sinner like me.

Thank you for loving me so much, that you sent your son Jesus Christ to die for me, so that I may have eternal life.

Thank you for all of the blessings I have received, and take for granted daily.

Thank you for choosing me and never giving up on me, no matter the awful choices I have made.

Thank you for the trials I’ve experienced, because they have shaped me into the woman I am today.

Thank you for being the most understanding, loving, accepting, and all-powerful God.

I have no doubt in my mind that You exist, because I would not have made it through my teenage years without You guiding me.

I’ve had my doubts about a lot, especially when we lose someone young or someone we were very close to and we think it’s way before their time, but then I think that You take people home who need it the most. You think about things we could never think about. You see things in the future we have no idea how to fathom. I can’t imagine how hard it must be having Your job. You love all of Your children, endlessly, even when they turn their backs from You.

Even in my darkest periods, when I turned away from You… You were always there, patiently waiting for me to return to You. When I feel ugly, broken, awful, You remind me that I am beautiful, strong, and cherished.

I curse too much. I tend to overindulge on the alcohol. I have broken at least 8 of your 10 commandments. I’ve strayed from You more times than I would like to admit. I’m selfish. I don’t go to church like I should. But You love me anyway.

I know that I am a sinner. I know that I will probably mess up a million and one more times before You call me home, but I will continue to have faith in You, the way that You have faith in me. I will try my best to make you proud.

I will try my best to live my life so fully, You laugh in joy for giving someone the gift of life who appreciates it so much.

Thank you, God, for loving me, and accepting me, sins and all.

I love You.

XO,

Your Awed at Your Amazing Grace Child

I don’t think I can ever truly thank you for what you’ve done for me.

You were there for me when my life was so dark, I never thought I would see light again.

You were there for me through it all, and you were the ball of sunshine that kept me going.

A best friend is someone who, at the end of the day, sees all your dark, twisted flaws, and loves you just the same.

She knows everything about you, and yet still chooses to be your friend.

I am one of the most insecure people on the planet, especially when it comes to friendships, but you’ve never let it phase you.

I’ve never had a friendship last for very long, but our friendship has made me believe it will stand the test of time.

I know people think it’s weird when I call you my soulmate, but to me, it’s the truest thing I’ve ever experienced. I know deep down in my heart, that no one could replace our bond, ever.

You are my soulmate. You are my home away from home. You always know what to say. You always listen without judgment. You make me feel whole, and give me support no matter what.

I’m so thankful to have someone like you in my life. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. Thank you for being, quite simply, you.

“We see things they’ll never see, maybe you’re the same as me.???

Love you, always

I started my first semester of nursing school in August of this year. I had no idea what I was going into. The only thought I had in my mind was that I wanted to save lives and make a difference. Leaving out of my first semester, I am exhausted, tear-stained, and relieved for a much needed three-week break.

However, I’ve learned a few key things from my first semester of nursing school, and would like to share them with you –

The easy ones:

• Coffee will be your best friend.

When you have to wake up at 4:30 to spend 8-12 hours in a clinical setting, you learn to love coffee if you don’t already. Most of my classmates joke about the need of an IV of Coffee stat.

• Make friends.

If you’re anything like me, making friends is not the easiest thing to do. I like to keep to myself and focus on my studies. But in nursing school? You need someone to laugh with and joke with because they’re the only people who truly do know what it is you’re going through. They know the Hell involved and the tears you cry that your parents just don’t quite get. “It can’t be that hard, it’s just school” Trust me, you’ll hear this. That’s why you need someone who gets it, and who better than a fellow classmate who’s going through it with you?

• Always show up to class.

Unlike some courses, each nursing school class contains VITAL information that if you miss out on will cost you at least two points on your test. From hints to breaking down complex subjects, you need to be in class for it to really sink in.

The not so easy ones:

• Try not to go in with any preconceived notions of what it’s going to be like.
  • Because in the end, it’s going to blow your socks off with just how different it is from anything you’ve ever known.
  • It’s going to thrill and excite you.
  • It’s going to leave you screaming and crying.
  • It is the hardest thing you can ever go through academically.
  • It’s going to try and break you. Nursing school is unreal. I went in thinking that even though everyone said it was hard, because I’d had a great track record with school, I thought I could pass with a breeze. It’s not like that. Sure, some people are good test takers, but it’s more than that. It’s a whole different style of questions, lectures, and the “flipped classroom” idea that doesn’t help as much as the faculty thinks it does.
• You’re going to question if this is what you want to do.
  • By the midterm of my first semester, I was questioning whether nursing was the right choice for me three times a week. By the end of finals, I was questioning whether it was right up to twenty times a week. I do still find myself questioning and wondering, but I also know that I was put here for a reason.

Bottom line is, yes, it will be hard. Possibly the hardest thing you’ve ever done. You’re going to break. You’ll end up sobbing in your car outside of the school and debating on whether you should even go inside because it’s just too much. You’re going to spend multiple nights up for all hours writing care plans, making nursing diagnoses, and filling your head with all of this crazy logic you’ve never heard of before in your life. It’s hard. It’s exhausting. It’s unreal. But it’s also REALLY worth it when you see your first patient smile and tell you to keep smiling because you’re the best student nurse they’ve ever had.