I’m so excited to finally be going on vacation.  My last travel job was the first time in 9 years that I have been outside of Georgia.  I had made plans to go on vacation and the plans would always get messed up.  Either the other people couldn’t afford it or they couldn’t get off from work.  I considered going on a solocation but I never did it.  I was scared to do things by myself.  I realized that if I waited on other people to do things, then I would end up doing nothing.  Which is what I ended up doing.  I just went to work, school, and out to dinner at times.  I was leading a very boring life.  I promised myself that when I became a travel nurse, I would start living the life I always wanted to live.  I would start doing things and not just sitting at home.  I learned that by not taking care of myself, I was really hurting myself.  Part of taking care of myself is going on a vacation and taking time off from work.  The only time that I took off from work in the past 9 years, was when I was sick or changing jobs.  I would always be the first one asking to go home early from work if the census dropped.  I was just ready for a change. Thank God I got 3 months off when I started looking for a travel nurse job.  I thought that I would get a travel nurse job really fast when I put in my 2 weeks notice.  I still didn’t go anywhere because I was scared to spend money with no money coming in.  I moved back in with my parents and waiting on a job.  My parents were scared for me.  My dad would keep saying to me that you never quit a job without another job already lined up.  I knew I was going to be a travel nurse.  I saw it in my dreams.  While I was waiting for a job, I was working on other things.  I finally had the time to relax and get to really know myself.  It was an exercise in my faith.  So now I know that I need to take a vacation every year.  It’s just a part of loving myself.  I will be doing my happy dance on the way to the airport!!