Sacrifices

It goes without saying that nursing school is big time. I know there will be major sacrifices made by not only me, but my family and friends during the next two years. I agonized over possible scenarios that would present themselves, trying to mentally prepare myself for the cutbacks that were inevitable. I made mental preparations of how I would handle each situation and that left me confident that I could withstand most temptations and remain un-budged in my scholarly ethics.

I think I've done pretty well so far. I've turned down many social functions to allot myself more time for flashcards, studying and reading. I've made index cards with all the material I need to have mastered by the end of the week and I relish in the giant black "X"s I slash through each item when I have it completed. I know it's paying off because my grades are excellent.

I've turned down going out the movies and getting a cocktail with my lady friends in order to study. I've cancelled hair cut appointments and even resulted to dying my lovely locks with a store bought box dye in the effort to save on expensive"luxuries" like a visit to the salon. I'm well aware of the hefty tuition payment that is due the first every month and I've talked myself into believing that that Clairol isn't half bad.

But nothing prepared me for this.

I didn't buy the new Twilight book, "Breaking Dawn" because midterms are this week and I didn't want the added distraction of a book I wouldn't be able to put down until it was read. It was released at midnight on Friday and I wasn't in line. My co-workers and sister and friends have been reading all weekend while I labeled the bones included in the axial skeleton and tried to figure out the differences between total and net ionic equations while memorizing the rules of chemical reactions where oxidation takes place. Buh.

I'd wanted so badly to spend Saturday absorbed in my book; lost in the story of Edward and Bella. Instead, I sat in a hard metal chair in the library, making flashcards and labeling lamella and lacunae on the never-ending diagrams wallpapering the desk where I sat. It took all my self control not to head down to the new release shelves only two floors below me to see if there was a copy waiting for me.

So here I sit, very well prepared for my exams tomorrow but behind on the next literary phenom. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't accidentally read or hear a spoiler on the news or web. I've made it this far, what's a few more days, right?