inspired.

first off. i can't believe that i haven't written a single post in the past 20 days. yikes. blogger fail. although i can assure you i have been plenty busy. we haven't had a free evening literally in months. it is kind of crazy how full our schedule has become. and throw in a puppy on top of all this and i feel like i have no time to sit out and type my thoughts. [while i'm mentioning her, lola is the most perfectly, precious puppy. i am planning to write up a pretty picture heavy post on how she is adjusting to life as a flynn]. 

this weekend ian is out of town for a bachelor party. that means it was a girls weekend for lola, evan, and myself. it became even more a girls weekend when i realized that i would attend a course with approximately 40-ish women and 1 very brave man. 

i have been attending a continuing education course for the past two days, called PNF: Improving Trunk Function Through Distal And Proximal Input instructed by Mary Massery, PT, DPT, DSc. and i am in awe. it is amazing to think that just today i was in a room filled with such brilliant minds. people i work with everyday and call my friends. professionals i collaborate with and continue to learn from. so far i have just been trying to soak everything up and i am still in the processing phase. the highlight of my day today was when Mary Massery gave me a high five. yeah that is right. not only did I get to go to a Mary Massery course within the first six months of my professional life. she actually acknowledged that i am alive and welcomed me into the awesome profession of physical therapy. day made! this may not seem like a big deal to a majority of you but Mary Massery is kind of seriously a legend in the Physical Therapy world, especially with regards to pediatrics. just check out her resume or her website. she is an amazing teacher. she offers wonderful instruction and insight into the use and application of PNF treatment techniques to use with ALL patient populations. her enthusiasm and joy for her work is evident through her instruction and feedback. it gives me so much pride for what i do and hope for my future. to know that i will continue to get better as i challenge myself, gain more clinical experience, and exposure to new thought processes and ideas through continued education. i would recommend a course taught by her to any of my colleagues.  she will inspire you to be a better PT and challenge you to improve the quality of treatment you provide. i plan to attend more courses from her in the future. while i am a little bit sore and completely mentally exhausted, i cannot shut my brain off. i am just excited to continue to learn from her the next two days. and then apply this new knowledge and refine my technique over the next months of work. i work with amazing kids. and have incredible PT mentors at work. and amazingly talented co-workers in a variety of disciplines. i seriously have the best job ever.

if i could sum up my current state of being in three words it would be:

inspired, challenged, exhausted

i remember my parents telling me when i young "find a job that you love and you won't work a day in your life." they really wanted me to have a profession that i could take pride in. at the time i had no context to understand the meaning behind this, although i understood the general point. who knows who they want to become at such a young age. even in college you are still trying to figure out who you are.  but the decisions you make mold you into the person that you become. and now as an adult i can say i understand EXACTLY what that saying means.  while i still work hard every single day i can say that i genuinely love what i do. i am passionate about improving the quality of life for each and every one of my patients. i still have hard days on occasion where i feel like nothing works like i had planned or i'm mentally drained. but even on those days i always go home feeling like i did something important. the kids i work with have really become a part of my life. and i can't imagine having any other job in the world. i am thankful for all the people who believed in me, pushed me to be better, and supported me over the past years as i became a physical therapist. the road was not always an easy one but worth every single bump in the road.