When I was in nursing school, one of my instructors mentioned that a job as a nurse was an amazing way to see the country and talked about how she'd spent several years in Alaska. Since then, I've found myself coming back to the idea of going to Alaska for a couple of years as a nurse. I vacillate between thinking about what an amazing, wonderful, life-changing experience it would be - not just for me but for our kids - and thinking about how stressful and frustrating it would be. So every time I think about it, I end up setting it aside as a non-viable option.
I'm orienting a new nurse on the unit, though, who just got back from Alaska. She lived there for several years and says enthusiastically that she would go back in a second. And her enthusiasm is contagious - it's making me revisit the idea of a just-for-a-few-years move to Alaska.
Not any time soon of course. I'm not even slightly interested in acclimating to a new place with a new baby and a two year old and two older children who love their friends and routines and don't want to change anything. But maybe a few years from now - maybe when I start working on that midwifery degree I still desperately want - that might be something we discuss. And it might not ever happen, but it's so awesome to be able to spend time chatting about the realities of the move with someone who has done it, and realize that it isn't such a non-viable option after all. Even if we never do it, I am kind of enjoying the daydreaming at the moment.
