Welcome!

Happy New Year 2012 and welcome to my new blog!  Yes, like many others I’m sure, it is my New Year’s resolution to start blogging on a semi-regular basis chronicling my randomness.  Allow me to explain.

Last year I went through a minor “mid-twenties” crisis.  I was on the verge of applying to graduate school for a master’s in public health and suddenly, I panicked.  What if this isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life?  Can I handle the commitment of school, a full-time job and being a wife at the same time and still be happy?

Left with these questions and many more I decided not to apply to school.  I think this came as a surprise to some of my family and friends because when it comes to school and my education I have always been very Type A.  During and immediately after nursing school I was determined to have the initials PhD behind my name someday.  Now would have been the ideal time to pursue this, but I decided to leave it on hold.  This new sense of “now what?” flooded over me.  I felt lost and slightly overwhelmed without having a plan for my career and my life. 

In response to this my dear husband bought me a “self-help” book, and rather than being put-off or offended I realized he just wants me to be happy.  The book was ‘Refuse to Choose!’ by Barbara Sher, and I read it completely identifying with the type of person she describes and attempts to help.

In this book Ms. Sher reaches out to a specific type of person that she names a “Scanner”.  I’m not particularly fond of the title of Scanner, sounds more like an alien race from a sci-fi movie than a personality type.  But, a Scanner I am!  Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter:

“To Scanners the world is like a big candy store full of fascinating opportunities, and all they want is to reach out and stuff their pockets…The problem is, Scanners are starving in the candy store.  They believe they’re allowed to pursue only one path.  But they want them all.”

I failed to mention earlier that I am an aspiring interior designer, nursing researcher, small business owner, gardener, English bulldog breeder, bed and breakfast owner, cake decorator, crafter, chef, furniture refinisher, florist, epidemiologist and seamstress just to name a few.  Before reading ‘Refuse to Choose!’ I felt I had to choose one of the above as a career and that I couldn’t be happy as long as I was “just a nurse”.

Though I didn’t necessarily appreciate her style of writing, Barbara Sher’s book did leave me with a wonderful sense of freedom.  I now realize I don’t have to be an expert in one area, or even several areas.  I am free to dabble in anything and everything I choose!

So this brings me back full circle, why am I deciding to blog?  I’m hoping this will become a space where I can share my ramblings on whatever interesting topic or project I happen to be hooked on at the time and gain a greater sense of appreciation for what I can accomplish in my free time. So please bear with me, my spelling may be questionable and my use of punctuation sometimes excessive.

Charlotte

P.S.  If you are wondering about the title “The Modern Midwestern Home”, stay tuned...