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Who are you and what is your life like now?
I am Berny aka Nurse B, and right now my life is almost how I want it. I am a home owner, I have a dog and a cat, I have the loving man and I am a nurse. Nursing is my chosen profession and I can’t imagine doing anything else. And as you read this I am doing a month long trip through Kenya, Uganda and climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with a couple of days stopover in Dubai.
What would you do all day, week or year if you were living your dream life?
If I was living my dream life…. I would like to be more self-sufficient and eco-friendly. I’d have a bigger house with solar panels for electricity (Ideally we’d be off the grid). I’d have lots of land so I can have at several dogs, a few more cats and maybe a guinea pig. I’d have a big vege garden, lots of fruit trees, and couple of pigs and chickens (for eggs and to eat eventually, if I don’t chicken out).
I think I’d keep the loving man, hehe. We’d be married and eventually we’d have a couple of kids. The kids would be taught to enjoy the great outdoors, instead of being stuck inside glued to a TV set. I’d be quite happy to not have a television, but I’d still like to be able to watch movies occasionally. I’d love to have a swimming pool, big enough to do laps (and slightly warmed), and an indoor spa pool to relax in. The house would have to have a dedicated music room, for my piano (big enough to fit Mum’s grand piano in when she can no longer keep it) and the man’s guitars. It would need a big, well equipped kitchen so I can bake and cook more often, so I would no longer need to buy things like bread and biscuits.
I would take from Mid-December through to Mid-February off every year to enjoy the summer and school holidays with my kids. We’d explore New Zealand and spend all sunny days at the beach or going for bush walks. I’d hope the husband would also be in a position to join us. Also every year we’d take a month off to explore different areas of the world (which month would depend on which was the best time of year to visit whichever country we’d planned on seeing that year).
What would your job be?I’d still be a nurse because that is my passion. In fact the only true downfall to my job is the long and unsociable hours. Nursing is not a 9–5 Monday to Friday job. Nursing is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and I have to be able to work any one of those hours and days.
In my dream life I would like be able work only one or two days a week (enough to keep my registration current). The rest of my time I’d spend being a home maker. If I was good enough I’d maybe make a little extra cash by baking bread, cakes and biscuits and making preserves (jam, sauces and relish) to sell at a local market.
Why would it make you happy?
This would make me happy because I would love to watch my kids grow up and discover the world first hand. I’d be able to spend more time with friends and family, go to parties and gatherings without having to clock watch or worry about getting to bed on time for my next shift of work. I’d have more time to do the things I love such as cook, bake, and garden, do handcrafts and listen to music. I’d also have more time to do the other household chores that I don’t love so much, so they would not reach a point where I feel overwhelmed by them. I take pleasure in a tidy, clean home, but at the moment often do not have to time or energy to achieve this.
So what's stopping you?
At the moment we don’t have to money for a bigger house and wouldn’t have to time for the upkeep of the gardens and animals. The area of nursing I am working in allows me to earn a reasonable wage, which is an evil necessity to be able to pay the mortgage and bills and be able to eat. It is reasonably flexible (just as long as I work 7am–7pm or 7pm-7am, 3-4 days per week). It is a good area to be in while I am still young and will probably be a good area to remain in when I have young children, as I’d probably be able to work less days (or work nights) to allow for child care. It offers the opportunity to earn extra money by paying penal rates for night shifts and weekend shift and pays double time for public holidays and allows the opportunity to do overtime during busy periods. This means that if we need a little extra cash for travel or other luxuries it is not too difficult to earn it. Thanks so much Nurse B for contributing to the Dream Life series!
If you would like to participate, I'd love to have you on board. Use the Contact Me tab to email me your answers to the Dream Life questions. I'll reply to get your photos and let you know when you will be published. All I ask in return is that you link back to Dancing in Barefeet on the day you appear.
Are you living your Dream Life?
