So, I said at the beginning of the year that this would be the year of writing my (hopefully first) book.

And I HAVE been working on something – and it’s okay. . . It just hasn’t really flowed, I think? It didn’t seem to be the right thing.

And then I had another idea that is a good one but its just not the one at this moment.

So I was feeling a bit blocked. I’ve thought about it and prayed over it and I’ve really been digging.

And then I stopped.

And just waited.

And last night it hit me like a bolt of lightening: I’m going to write a book about death. And I am incredibly excited and inspired. This is what I’m supposed to do.

Before you all run for the hills, bear with me.

If you are a new reader, before I became disabled, I was a working nurse and I’ve been one for 15 years now. Much of my work involved hospice and end of life care.

From my work, I learned so much from my patients and their families about dying and how to help people process it and also how the medical community handles death and how it can be improved.

I also sat with them as they crossed over to the other side and provided comfort and caring to the end.

I have many stories to tell – in an appropriate way, to protect my patients always – and so many lessons learned from those experiences.

Apart from my work, I’ve experienced personal loss as well, as I written about here, which has caused me to spend more time than most reading and thinking on these things.

In fact, during the night last night, I was listening to a talk by the amazing Dr. Atul Gawande, whose book and documentary, both titled Being Mortal, explore the end of life and how we and our health care system address it, when it hit me that this is my work.

This is what I know and where my heart is: to help people understand death and dying and to learn not to fear it, to see where our healthcare system must do better, to know that they have choices, and to remember to LIVE every day.

Understanding death helps us value life.

As a chronically ill person, I probably have given death more thought than your average person also, particularly during these times when several spoonie friends have suddenly fallen ill or passed away. It is only natural to do so and it has given me a unique perspective as a spoonie as well on this topic.

With all of these life experiences combined, I want to share a different point of view, one that is both clinical and personal, as a nurse, a patient, and a person, exploring death, medical care, faith, and how to cope. I feel like I really have something to offer here.

So, as I’m working and researching, reading books and watching documentaries, I’ll still be blogging and sharing things that I find interesting. And more of them than usual may be death related as that’s going to be what I’m working on for the next several (SEVERAL) months.

So I just wanted to let everyone know that there’s no need to come check on me when the death posts start. I’m not depressed. Quite the contrary – I found the book that only I can write. ❤

Be well, everybody.

Grace and Blessings.

#drinkwater