What a week!

It has been a long week!

I started off the week packing up my car and travelling to Waddecar Scout Camp for 4 days with the youth from Church. I spent 4 sleep deprived days handing out plasters, taking photos, singing songs, reading Scriptures, volunteering for devotionals (Sorry Becca!), flossing, eating way more than I should have, teaching alternative ideas for first aid, laughing so much I almost couldn’t breathe, and just really enjoying being surrounded by like minded people, making new friendships and strengthening old ones.

The second half of the week was straight back to work…nights! Enough said! And when I wasn’t working I was trying to cram in all the sleep I could.

 

I’ve learned the best lessons this week though.

1/ Fluke or not, I had a killer aim when we got to shoot rifles. Became a really persuasive tool when I wanted people to go to sleep because I was tired.

2/ No matter how many times I try to climb 60 steep steps in one go, I’m never gonna be able to do it. My legs will still feel like they’re on fire by the 30th step, my lungs will feel like they’re about to explode and my ears will be ringing before I get to the top.

3/ Having to climb 60 steps every morning (and sometimes a whole lot more times through the day) makes it easier to be able to walk up 28 normal steps on my way out of work.

4/ No matter what, even when you think your car is completely full to the brim, and there won’t be any room to breathe, never mind drive, you’ll always be able to squeeze in a forgotten suitcase, sleeping bag and pair of trainers!

5/ When your car is that full, as you start to decant people and belongings out of the car, it will still look so full you couldn’t possibly have fit all that in there.

6/ When a wasp flies into a packed car, I will leave everyone else behind while I run to safety and leave them trapped, then sit back and laugh so hard I would never be useful to them anyway.

7/ Not all Americans can make American pancakes 😉 It’s probably because they’re really just scotch pancakes, and we probably had them first, they just stole the idea.

8/ If I stay up til 3.30am, I will not be nice the following day, even to children.

9/ It is possible to work a night shift after so little sleep.

10/ It is possible to feel completely undervalued and overwhelming loved at one time. And the feeling loved part wins. You’ll move on from being mad and forget about it, but you won’t ever forget when people go the extra 10,000 miles for you.

11/ I’ve been back at work 11 full weeks, and every time I think I might have made a mistake and that going back to work full time wasn’t all I had it cracked up to be, someone will always do something that makes me think “Nope, I’m good here. This is why I came back”.

12/ The people you love and who love you in return should always be your top priority. Friends and family are everything in life, don’t miss an opportunity to tell them that.

 

I’m back on nights next week, hoping the only lesson I learn is that it is possible for me to survive two weeks of night shifts!!