Off I’m gonna shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo!
My earliest recollection of being in Buffalo was when I was in high school. The National League for Nursing Exam was being given in Buffalo, and I needed to take it. At least, I *think* it was the NLN Exam. Seems like it was some kind of an aptitude test. I distinctly remember it was the coldest day of the year. And, of course, there was snow. (Isn’t there always snow in Buffalo?)
My father had driven me as close to the testing site as possible. I was wearing a warm wool coat with a beaver collar (quite THE thing to wear in those days) and knee-high boots. The small part of my legs that wasn’t covered by the coat or the boots was red from the bitter, sub-zero cold. Buffalo is cold.
Tonight, it’s a fairly decent night in Buffalo. Cold, but not bitterly cold. Windy–quite windy–but tolerable.
And that’s not the only difference. Now I’m a real nurse, offering a real course. And I’m a nurse with white hair! So much time has passed.
Some days, though, I wake up and wonder if I’m really a nurse. How did I ever get to be a nurse? How did I ever get into nursing school? How did I ever pass the boards….on the first try, at that! To me, becoming a nurse was always just a little far out of my reach. But somehow, I was able to reach that goal.
So here I am. I’ve shuffled off to Buffalo to present my Comprehensive Lactation Course, starting tomorrow. I was finished for the 2011 season; this is an encore performance. I feel truly lucky to be asked to present in Buffalo at Catholic Health System.
“Off we’re gonna shuffle, shuffle uffle uffle uffle, shuffle off to Buffalo.” (Song lyrics by Don Bestor.)