Something Therapeutic

I don't know what it is, but there is something therapeutic about knitting. When I was an undergrad studying biochemistry at Georgia Tech, taking time out to get comfortable on the couch of our dorm room and knit was so relaxing.  No memorizing chemical equations or figuring out the stereochemistry of atoms - just the rhythmic movement of my fingers, the needles and yarn. My roommate and dear friend Jen would sometimes join me because, well you know, we were such party animals in college. (Our idea of a party was eating some good food at a restaurant downtown on a Friday night, driving with the windows rolled down in the cool Atlanta air, the radio blasting and having a mini dance party in our living room.) And now, as a nurse, in grad school, knitting still has that therapeutic effect - in the past few years I've come to find that photography does too.

A few semesters back, we had a guest lecturer who was an orthopedic nurse practitioner and the thing I remember most was that she strongly encouraged each one of us to have an outlet. Whether it was a sport or hobby of some sort completely separate from our practice, she said it was something that we needed. So very true. And I think that goes for anyone, no matter what your full-time job may be (mom, lawyer, consultant, or nurse). For me, having that creative outlet has been just the therapy I've needed.

Nikon F100 | Kodak Ektar 100