A passion for nature and nursing

From early childhood, I have had a passion for being in nature. Two weekends ago, I traveled approximately five hours north of Cape Town, South Africa to view flowers in Namakwaland. It is a land of contrasts where dry lands are transformed into collages of bright colors. It is believed that 4,000 or so different species of plant seeds are involved. Every year between July and October —South Africa’s spring—brings a different formula and a different selection of flowers.

The flowers of Namakwaland

While driving through this paradise of flowers, I thought of a presentation I had made the preceding week at a graduation ceremony at Cape Town University of Technology, in which I spoke about developing and retaining passion for nursing. Although Namakwaland is semidesert, it transforms into a spectacular view. Likewise, student nurses, despite many challenges, eventually complete their courses and develop a passion for nursing that enables them to focus on the overall outcome of “health for all.”

A journey through Namakwaland usually takes at least three days. As we viewed the beautiful landscapes, I experienced a close relationship with my surroundings that felt warm, friendly and close to my heart. It was as if the spring flowers were serving me by allowing me the privilege of looking at them and enjoying their beauty, thereby uplifting my spirit and improving my overall well-being.

In caring for human beings, who are holistic, nurses, like the spring flowers of Namakwaland, render, on a 24-hour basis, the most intimate personal service to their patients, thereby uplifting their spirits and contributing to their well-being. Patients are different in so many ways and, from admission to discharge, nurses holistically respond to those varied needs.

One’s passions derive from decisions to pursue goals that are personally meaningful, and my two-day journey through Namakwaland, with its magnificent and majestic floral displays, gave me new energies to tackle my work. When we depend only on rewards, such as compensation and security, we lose sight of who we really are. We must take advantage of opportunities we are given to uncover meaning in our work and personal lives.

The seeds of Namakwaland flowers have the ability to lie dormant for a number of seasons, awaiting conditions suitable for germination. As nurses, we should not wait to take the lead in the workplace. By focusing on the right things that bring you joy in the workplace and in your personal life, you become a colorful flower in the lives of everyone around you.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.