What Wildfires Taught Me About Becoming a Nurse | NURSING.com

Back in 2018, I was invited to speak at an event in Ventura California. Little did I know but I was flying into a literal disaster zone and shortly after leaving the airport began to understand the destruction that California wildfires can cause.

Most of the major highways were closed and I drove many back-roads to get to my hotel. That next morning I awoke to scorched hills and a town reeling with disaster relief. Many of the speakers at the conference I was attending couldn’t even attend because they were needed in the field to tend to the chaos.

While listening to the song “Baker’s Globe Mallow” by Brett Dennen I learned of flowers called Baker’s Glob Mallows that will only bloom their brilliant purple color after a wildfire.

So many people want to avoid painful or scary situations at all costs but will let that fear of failure prevent them from ever trying at all. Just as the baker’s globe mallows only bloom after the destruction of a fire, some of us may only turn into the people we want to be after difficult times.

Becoming a nurse is certainly a difficult road to travel however those trying times are what help mold you into the person and nurse you want to be. They help prepare you for when you enter into your career and can tackle whatever is thrown at you.

If we avoid pain and difficulty we are essentially robbing ourselves of the opportunity to grow and learn.