joyful2beeblogs

I had been a medical nurse for about nine or ten years. Then, I was trained as an ICU/CCU nurse and worked  17 years in CCU/ICU ( Coronary and Intensive Care Units).

I herniated a disc in my neck and had to retire from ICU/CCU nursing because I irritated my disc again when I did certain treatments to the patients. Then, I went to work on medical or cardiac floors where those treatments weren’t done.

I worked another 10 years on the cardiac floors, even after having two lumbar discs herniated. They healed with rest, muscle relaxers and physical therapy. Finally in 2011 I had sciatica so painful that I couldn’t sit for more than 15 minutes at a time.

I had to turn in my resignation on the unit floor and went on the disability insurance that my husband had encouraged me to sign up for. That gave me half of my regular income. When the doctor said I should not lift over 20 pounds, the hospital wouldn’t let me work anymore because I was a liability for more injuries.

So I let my back heal and rest and with rare flare ups, I did great. I find it interesting that each time it was time for me to move on, my neck and back made the decision (or was God was telling me what I needed to hear to help me leave and change my nursing career into retirement?) So I formally retired from nursing in 2011.

I found new ways to make a living that didn’t hurt my back or neck. I always loved the beauty of nature and I enjoyed sharing that beauty with others. I took several classes (two on photography and one on business) at the junior college nearby. I bought a Canon Rebel T3I camera with a long lens, extra flash, and other professional parts for differing photographic subjects and conditions. I also bought a laptop to upload and “fix” or improve the photos’ color, size, and more.

Five sunflowers against a blue backdrop

Being a professional photographer, I joined the business organization, the local Chamber of Commerce. During the three or so years I was there (after my husband passed away in 2009) I was hired several times by my real estate agent to photograph houses for sale. This was an intermittent kind of income but was welcome.

Then, I was hired by the local, small, town newspaper as a photojournalist. I worked for the newspaper for about two years, until its owners decided to close the newspaper.

I took photos of a couple and other scenic sites, too. I had some of them enlarged and framed and have them in my condominium.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

I had a large collection of photos and discovered from my circle of friends, that they enjoyed some of my stories we shared on the group’s site. With their encouragement, I wrote some of these blog posts, such as the ones about my grandmothers and my experiences as a nurse. Thanks to these people, I knew I had found a niche for my stories and photos. They actually enjoyed them which made me realize that I had a gift, or actually more than one!

Finally, even though my back was better, my back was not well enough to care for the yard and the grass. I had to leave our home and yard after my husband’s death because I couldn’t take care of the yard with the beautiful trees which dropped thousands of leaves each fall. I had to hire someone else to do this and water the grass in the front of the house. I realized that I needed to conserve the cash that I had for other things. So I decided to move north 30 minutes to a larger town.

I now photograph for my own fun and joy. I share photos on Facebook and use many of them on my blog, Joyful2beeblogs.com. (https://www.joyful2beeblogs.com)

Feel free to check it out and comment on the posts if you enjoyed them. They are also on Facebook under Joyful2beeblogs.com