An RN Thanksgivukkah!

Chanukah,the holiday celebrating the victory of the Jewish people in their fight to practice their religion and traditions; Thanksgiving; with a similar type of thanks  came together on one day. This occasion was made memorable for me, not only because of the rare occurrence of this once in lifetime holiday combo, but it occurred in my milestone year, my first thanksgiving and my first Chanuka as a nurse. The way to show thanks for feeling free to practice religion is by actually practicing it.I marked some of my thanks towards God for reaching my novice state, by practicing my nursing expertise, all while celebrating the holiday and keeping my traditions.

Aside for the perk of earning overtime, celebrating this doubly monumental holidays on a unit tending to call bells and patient needs, does blow.
Sleeping in, enjoying hot coffee with mama's Chanukah cheese pastries with my frat house/ siblings, participating in my family's potluck Thanksgivukka party and it's mouthwatering delicacies, does sound way more appealing than leaking ostomies, and beeping IV pumps.
We celebrated on my unit with our very own potluck. I made the Chanukah contributions with doughnuts, muffins and chocolate coins while some others contributed pies, turkeys,and snacks. We sat around, in our usual green attire, pockets stuffed with our usual  saline flushes and alcohol swabs. Most of us managed to swallow 3 or more mouthfuls before a medication was due or a call bell rang end of our chewing time. It was almost as if our supply room, transformed into our makeshift dining room, was that haven, where for a few milliseconds we could forget our endless responsibilities and the sorrowful states of the individuals under our care, and provided a slight version of the holiday spirit being celebrated outside the hospital walls.

One of our Jewish patients, was elated to be going home for Chanuka and to be able to properly light his menorah with real candles, he graciously added an electric menorah to our 11E stash of Chanuka decorations. Even in the dark hallways of illness, we managed to hang sparkly decorations, quiet celebrations, and a beacon of the holy Chanukah light.

To be truly thankful, isn't just by eating heavenly delicacies, playing with dreidels and watching football games, but also by doing actions that show true thanks for being able to live by our traditions freely. We lit that menorah on our unit, decorated the unit, and allowed those people cuffed to our iv lines and heart monitors during the holiday to attain some semblance of the holiday spirit. TO be thankful for the light isn't just to savor it, but to share it.

   The food was delicious an company was divine.  Sitting around the food and enjoying my minor version of festivities all while feeling slightly left out of my own family's holiday celebrations with its mouthwatering menus; I can only think how grateful I am to be healthy and be the one caring rather than the one being cared for.