Have I learned anything yet?

Second term of nursing school and I still feel totally out of my league. It's been an in-one-ear-out-the-other sort of sensation pretty much the whole way, I'm getting the grade but I worry if I'm getting it in the way that matters most. My classmates are awesome people, I get along well with everyone and have a good study group going. My personal study habits have improved drastically (I may have actually kicked that nasty netflix habit, thank the Lord...).

For me, nursing school isn't my whole life. Sometimes I feel guilty, like I should be all-consumed by this, wrap up my identity in it, and filter out everything else so I can be the best. nurse. ever. But it's not like that. If I had to break it down, I think my time and thoughts and emotions are about 45% nursing. Not even half. It's still a formidable chunk, but I'm wondering if the way I divvy up time and energy is the most effective. I still have a lot of hours at work to squeeze in, I still volunteer at church and hang out with crazy jr. high kids every week, I still make time for friends and family and God. School is important, nursing is important, but I don't think those things will ever define me. Not completely anyway. I'm still figuring out how that makes me feel. In the moment, I think it takes a lot of the burden off my shoulders. If I flunk out, I'll survive. I would feel pretty lame, but I would move on. I don't know...I'm not going to flunk out, I promise, I'm just thinking what if's here.

Lastly, there is this part of my mind that is totally focused on how God is moving in my life. My heart for serving has had multiple outlets, the latest one being a summer missions trip to serve the people of Italy. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity, and am blown away by God's faithfulness. He hears my prayers and answers them in His perfect timing. He's good like that.

So overall, I feel like nursing school is just this small chapter in my life, with lots of unrelated footnotes strewn throughout and maybe the random diagram of how to assemble the perfect pie crust. It's not all serious or totally stressful or entirely consuming. I'm still making adjustments to the balance between school and life and everything therein, but we've got a workable format and a pie crust diagram that's bound to come in handy.