LIMITATIONS — Monday Motivational Meditation #375 — 2018-10-15

The human body has limitations.
The human spirit is boundless.

Dean Karnazes, 1962-

American ultramarathon runner, and author of
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner,
which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
Source: wikipedia.org

LIMITATIONS

Embracing my limitations is a sign of inner strength. I can’t do everything I’d like to do. Being able to admit it and tell others is a way of saying I need them in my life. It’s a way of saying I am not alone in the world and acknowledging the goodness of those who surround me in life. It’s a spiritual practice to be who I am and nothing more like a flower in a field.

My limitations and those of my patients don’t stop me from seeing how I can build capacity for more. Those with whom I serve and I must look for ways in which we can pool our resources together to make something better together. It’s even a good thing to ask my patients now and then, how we might, together, make things better. Since we each have personal limitations, maybe if we pool our resources we could make something great happen.

That’s why I know that limitations can instigate tremendous creativity. Yes, life can be difficult, but we’re not alone. Unlocking the means to make a smoother path for others is often a group effort. I’ll look for friends and loved ones who want to believe that our personal limits are not the end of the story.

Eternal Hope, never let the disappointments and setbacks in life stop me from being enthusiastic about what might be possible. Embracing my limitations, may I always seek the companionship of others to help me in my efforts to make the world and the lives of others better. AMEN.

ACTION: What are your limitations? Who has helped you to accept them? What are the internal messages you tell yourself when you come up against your limitations? How do you show compassion to yourself in those moments? Give yourself a break this week.

Central American eco-guide and professional nature photographer Fred Muller was busy climbing trees and inventorying orchids in the mist-saturated cloud forests of Cobán, central Guatemala as part of a diversity study when I connected with him by phone this week. Fred is one of those incredible people who has abandoned the familiar to follow his passion; exploring and documenting the phenomenal diversity of tropical nature. He lives a full and active life introducing visitors from around the world to regional wildlands and their remarkable flora and fauna, especially the thousands of orchids that inhabit Mesoamerica.

Fred was born in Montpellier in southern France and, since early childhood, has had a fascination with nature and wild places around the world. He was a jewelry maker in France for a few years and that too stemmed from his fascination with all beautiful things. But, tired of sitting at a bench, he finally heeded the call of the wilderness. Traveling to Australia he followed the light with nothing else than a recent gift, his first professional camera given by one of his uncle’s friends, and boundless dedication day after day. Then, life connected him with both researchers and amateurs that needed high-quality photos of tropical wildlife and plants. He has been fulfilling his dream in Guatemala since his arrival there in 2007 after spending five years as staff photographer at the botanical garden in Lyon, France.

Fred’s extraordinary photographs of Central American orchids flowering in nature have appeared in the annual calendars of the American Orchid Society as well as on several well-known webpages that showcase tropical nature, including David Scherberich’s amazing online aroid plant image base and Exotica Esoterica where he is a collaborating author.

You can see samples of Fred’s amazing photographic work here. Or, better yet, feel free to contact us to connect with Fred and schedule a custom-made tour through the fascinating ecosystems and Pre-Columbian archaeological sites of southern Mexico, Guatemala and other countries in Central America.

Nursing Heart is grateful to Fred for permitting the use of his photos in this series called, “Peace.”

Nursing Heart Friends,

We have had a great week with the students and faculty from the University of South Dakota. The photo above was taken after the school wellness check in Los Jometes of San Martín Jilotepeque. These students were the best. It was the third consecutive year that our USD group has visited Los Jometes to assist with a wellness check for the students in the primary school. We were so grateful to our partners at Hombres y Mujeres en Acción and the people of the community who helped us organize the clinic.

I was thrilled to see each student with their charts in hand parade single file to our various stations. Anyone who has done this kind of work knows it is not an insignificant thing to see a medical history chart from the previous year in the hand of each student. This year my objective was to spend a moment with each teacher to chat about the significance of keeping a medical history of each student and anytime a nurse or the health post comes out to offer an intervention it should be noted in the chart.

The group installed stoves on Monday, did a foot clinic on Wednesday and were with a doc in Santa Cruz La Laguna on Thursday. You can see more photos of our week on Instagram @nursingheartinc or on Facebook.

Our General Campaign is continuing. We are seeking 50 new monthly patrons of our work. We appreciate whatever you can do. Five dollars a month can make a big difference.

Peace,

Our annual Friends of Nursing Heart program is scheduled for January 26-February 2. This program is open to nurses and others. We will be doing a building project and clinics during the week. It’s always a very special time. Click to learn more.

Learn more about our work at nursingheart.org.

What we may consider a limitation, others consider a blessing.

Makenzi Vlotho
Sam Vanderostyne

Fourth year BSN Candidates
Department of Nursing, University of South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota