I'm a Lucky man!

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Hi everyone, Matt here. 

I’m feeling more comfortable as a blog writer at the keyboard now, but it still feels strange to say that I have a wife, ‘wifey’, as I've been calling my darling Flo. 

 I’ve also got some exciting professional nursing events ahead of me, that I will tell you about in a minute. 

 Our wedding was the best day of my life! 
My darling Flo took my breath away as she glided down the aisle. I will never forget that smile on her sweet face as she looked straight at me, with nothing but love and adoration at the altar. The highlight was the mother in law’s face when she saw the pork pie cake! Only kidding, that was just one of the many highlights. 

Then again, I did have my doubts. No, I didn’t, that’s also rubbish. The only doubt I had was whether I would make it on time, as Ben aka ‘The Best Man’ decided to take me on a wild goose chase pub crawl the night before. It seemed like a good idea at the time but by about 6pm, I was well on my way, full of a mixture of drinks that the lads had delighted in plying me with.

We ended up bumping into a hen party full of crazy ‘Geordies’. They challenged us to a karaoke competition, whoever got the loudest cheer won and losing team bought the drinks. I managed to stumble to the DJ and put myself down for a rendition of Queen classic ‘We will rock you’. It wasn’t long after that, we were told to keep the noise down and move on to our next destination. 
When I woke up on THE BIG DAY I checked my phone and realised that it must have been 5am by the time we'd got in. For some daft reason, I had dialled 666 half a dozen times at 4:37am, before having apparently completed a 48 second conversation with a taxi company. The time was now 12:27pm and I was meant to be at the venue to meet and greet the guests in half an hour. So whilst having a mini panic, I shovelled the hotel biscuits in to my gob for breakfast and dived in the shower.

When I got out I was greeted by Ben saying, "good morning sweetheart, aren't you meant to be getting married today? You look like shit!", whilst pouring two small measures of something strong. I could have kissed him. I was getting married at 2pm and had to be quick, but the stiff drink worked wonders, adrenaline kicked in and we were on site by 1:17pm precisely, looking sharp and full of smiles. I think we got away with it. 

The day was incredible and flew by almost like a dream. I did manage to take some time to sit back and feel pride, watching my beautiful wife, dance and laugh with her friends. I realised there and then; I am a very lucky man. 

 The honeymoon was also wonderful and so relaxing. It was a time for me and Flo to recharge our batteries and talk about all the exciting things we have to look forward to, especially having a family at some point. The highlights were sipping on cocktails, whilst being waited on at our private beach hut and a lovely three-course meal on a private beach watching the sunset, I do love a bit of romance, the only downside being that I am now skint. 

The time out also offered us a real ‘breather’ and time to reflect on work-life as a nurse too. It made me feel well in-myself again, to the point I realised I just have to chalk up my recent self-doubt to experience and move forward having learned. 

As I took a long drink from a cold beer on that postcard perfect beach one day, it really dawned on me, searching my soul for a resolution to my own self-doubt, was pretty pointless. I was looking for an answer to a problem that didn’t really exist, and so now I’ve got a plan. 

The key thing was remembering that how I feel is down to lots of different factors. Blood sugar, stress, diet, exercise, relationships and both personal and private life workloads, they all play their part. What’s more, they are all always changing, but there are lots of things within all that, that I can control, which really helps. 

Firstly I’ve got my pass through, for the Royal College of Nursing summit next week. Does that make me a swot? 

Seriously, I am going to broaden my professional horizons and explore my job options, treating that exercise as an opportunity for more learning and professional development. It’s going to be an adventure and a worthwhile one! 

I’ve also got back down to the boxing gym. I can’t throw a punch but the exercise regime is high intensity and I can’t remember why I stopped going. It’s a massive mood booster. Endorphins are an incredible thing, breaking a sweat on a regular basis really helps stay alert and energetic during the normal day to day routine, pie-cakes and real ale do not (yes I’m talking to you, Flo!). 

Finally, please keep an eye out for the next time I write, because I want your opinions. I am going to push the standard of my professionalism and really own this career of mine. So the next time I write I am going to be as serious and professionally informative as possible. 

Will you tell me what you think? 

Matt


Location: United Kingdom

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Hi, I’m Florence and I am taking you on a wonderful journey into the world of nursing. I have been qualified for only a short time but I am learning so much. In my own words I’m here to share the highs and lows of what it’s really like to be a nurse working in the UK. Nurses are the real heroes of our society. Let the next Chapter commence…

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