Chasing Hope: Reflections on Healing and Hope

By Dr. Carolyn Swinton

About the Book
Chasing Hope: A Nurse's Reflections on Healing and Hope takes a unique approach to self-improvement through family, spirituality, and reflection. This uplifting and thought-provoking collection is sure to inspire its readers to start the journey to a better life. Each reflection starts with an inspirational quote and then proceeds with a life lesson given from the author. The reader will be left with a message of hope in an often troubled world.
About the Author
Dr. Carolyn Swinton is the CEO and Founder of Reveille Exectutive Coaching & Consulting Services. She is a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) with over 30 years of experience, most of which have been as a C-Suite Nurse Executive. She is a certifed coach for personal and professional mastery and a health care consultant. She serves on several boards whose missions are to support housing security, financial stability, and the opportunity to earn a living wage.
She is married to John and has a daughter Cara. She enjoys reading, traveling, music, and spending time with her family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Feb 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9798889259343

Book preview

Give Chase

It is better to die in pursuit of your dreams than to live a life without hope. Terry Brooks

As a child, I loved to run. I was never much of an athlete, but on field day at school, I could always be counted on to participate in the 100-yard dash or other short races. At home, I chased my brothers, scaled hedges and jumped ditches. I loved the feeling of the sun and wind on my face as I ran. As I think back on those times, wondering why I liked to run so much, I realize that I have always been in pursuit of something. Then it was the pursuit of lightheartedness, a simple life, to be a good person and to have a measure of peace and hope.

To be in pursuit of something brings meaning to our lives. We were not made to be idle. We were not made to wander aimlessly through life. There is something, or someone, at the very core of our beings that causes us to get up in the morning and to keep moving through the day. I am not sure that I have discovered exactly what that is for me, but I know that I am being driven by something bigger than myself. It may be a myriad of things––being a servant leader, being committed to excellence, having a genuine hope that all can be made right, even when all evidence points to the contrary.

There is something about action and activity that stirs the soul and gives us purpose. And what we pursue says a lot about who we are. Do we pursue harmony or discord? Truth or deceit? Do we give all we have or offer half-measures? Do we provide the service we would want for our family and ourselves or do we do just enough to get by? Are we pursuing perfection or settling for mediocrity?

The funny thing about giving chase is that you may never catch what you are pursuing. Guess what? It doesn’t matter. For it is in the process of giving chase that we learn patience, that we learn humility, that we offer grace and grow in love. The joy is not always in obtaining the prize. The joy is often in the journey. At the end of the day, and at the end of your time, you will be known not so much for what you gained in life, but how you lived your life, how you showed up and how you made others feel. So don’t waste your time chasing things that won’t last beyond your time and that don’t make a difference in the world. Give chase to the memorable, the indefinable, the immeasurable things for which there are no words. Pursue the things that bring joy, the things that cause you to throw your head back to face the wind and delight in the warmth of the sun; the things that you can embrace with your whole heart, mind and soul. To those things, give chase.

100 Years

Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you. Shannon L. Adler

There is a phrase that is often used when people make mistakes or when they commit to making a difference: 100 years from now no one will care. Well let’s think about that. A lot has happened in the past 100 years that, I can assure you, has not been forgotten. Women gained the right to vote. The Great Depression. Prohibition. The Vietnam War. The first man in space. The Civil Rights Movement. The Internet. All of these things happened because of choices that were made and actions that were taken. If we think about the difference that one person could make, we would worry less about today, and more about how we will be remembered 100 years from now. Impossible? Possible.

We all have the ability to make a difference in this world that will last beyond our lifetime. In health care, administering care in a way that aligns with best practice can mean the difference between good outcomes and bad outcomes, life or death. Everything that we do has a consequence and an impact, good or bad. When we choose the good things in life—respect, integrity, compassion, empathy, and excellence—we can change the course of history. Think about the teacher who refused to give up on a student who had given up on himself. The physician who persevered and found a cure. The social worker who refused to abandon the child who had been abandoned time and time again by parents too lost to help anyone else through life. These acts of humanity are endless, and the impact is eternal.

When you put your whole heart into your work, the essence of who you are transcends time and spans generations. Extend goodwill today and reap the benefits for years to come. Just imagine that the great-great grandchild of someone you help today can be a champion for good in the next 100 years. You can do it. I can do it. If we stand on the side of right today, and every day that we are blessed to live, 100 years from now we will still be here.

800 Spruce Street

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others. Charles Dickens

The first hospital in the American colonies and the oldest hospital in the United States, Pennsylvania Hospital, is located at 800 Spruce Street in Philadelphia. When it opened its doors in 1751, I wonder if the founders of this institution knew that it would blaze the trail for others to follow. The seal of the hospital, chosen by Benjamin Franklin, incorporates the Bible story of the Good Samaritan. It is striking that the mission of this hospital, reception and cure of poor sick persons, resounds in more than five thousand hospitals in the United States today.

The mission reminds us that, like those before us, we are here for a purpose; that we are to give what we have and do what we can for those in need. When you walk through the doors of a hospital, you are entering the annals of history. You can imagine the cries that signal the birth of a new baby, the sigh of relief that a surgery went well and that a loved one will recover. Imagine the look of despair when word is received that there will be no relief from the pain and suffering or the overwhelming sorrow that all efforts to save a loved one were futile. These are special places where character is born and hearts are strengthened. Places where caregivers toil through the night and welcome the dawn, grateful that their patients have lived to enjoy another sunrise. Spirits are lifted and lives are changed in these places. Hope is renewed in the back halls, utility rooms, and nurses’ stations of these places of caring.

Today, as we walk the halls of our places of work, we should keep in mind that this is work that makes a difference, work to be proud of. There is a coming of age for those care givers who finally understand that, through helping and healing, their life has purpose. For the patient and family who are battling through illness there is a feeling of comfort and hope that they are in good hands, that those caring for them regard them as family and friend.

No matter the city or state, hospitals are seen as beacons of hope and places of compassion. We must never forget why we are here and who we serve. Long before our time and long after we are gone, caregivers will always be seen as purveyors of hope, instruments of healing and towers of strength. Take pride in knowing that you are doing legacy work; that what you do matters, not only for today but for generations to come.

A Better Way

No matter who you are, what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself. Madonna

The new year has begun and along with it comes the age old tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Eat less. Exercise more. Spend less money. Find more time for yourself and your family. Often, all of these good intentions start with a bang and end with a fizzle. Why is that? Is it because we have the wrong target or the wrong plan?

As I thought about resolutions, I reflected on the year behind me and wondered about the year ahead. Perhaps instead of seeking a New Year’s resolution we should seek a better way to become the best version of ourselves. We often spend time scratching the surface of issues that we face on a daily basis. We spend time trying to make our calendars less busy and our meetings more effective. Perhaps we would be better off if we scrapped the one-hour meeting and had a 15-minute power chat instead.

We buy new gadgets to send more text messages and emails when perhaps we could pick up the phone and speak personally to our families and friends.

Many of us have been conditioned to avoid conflict whenever possible. Perhaps instead of avoiding conflict we should run headlong into it, not to make things worse, but to make things better. If we approach rather than avoid the person who hurt our feelings, we can better understand what went wrong and why. Instead of choosing the easy way out of a difficult situation, let’s choose the hard way. It is often through the challenge that pain is washed away and one emerges stronger and better for having suffered and triumphed. This is the beauty of choosing the more difficult way. For within all of us lies the potential and the possibility to be better and to do better.

We all have innumerable gifts to share that can bring light and hope to someone else’s life. Let us be the example of what right looks like. Let’s find a better way to live and show love to each person in every moment of our lives. Let us allow the depth of our compassion and the strength of our love, spirit and resolve to shine through. There are many paths set before us in our life’s journey. We have an opportunity with each new day and with this new year to renew spirits and set hearts on fire. Let us choose the better way.

A Bigger Vision

Don’t let others tell you what you can’t do. Don’t let the limitations of others limit your vision. If you can remove your self-doubt and believe in yourself, you can achieve what you never thought possible. Roy T. Bennett

Recently, a leader shared some significant challenges she was facing as she transitioned to a new role. When I asked her why she stayed in the new role, she said, I guess I had a bigger vision. That response resonated with me. Think about it. A vision, a plan, or way of being is really the formula to success. More importantly, it is what drives a purpose-driven life. If we react based only on what we see or feel in the moment, we most likely would live different lives today. Fail your driver’s test? Plan to walk or catch a ride for the rest of your life. Fail a test in school? Drop the class and move on to something easier. Fall short of your performance goals? Move on to another department. You get the picture.

The saying that anything worth having is worth fighting for is true. There is something about staying the course in the face of seemingly unsurmountable odds that grows character. There is something about believing in the purpose of your organization that motivates you to get up each day and go to work to make a difference in someone else’s life. There is something about believing in yourself and in the calling on your life that allows you to keep trying when others tell you to walk away. What makes you special is that you have a bigger vision. You look past the problem to see a solution. You are not constrained by the failures of the past. You embrace a future full of promise and possibility.

Do you want to make a difference? Have a bigger vision. Having a bigger vision makes you stand out in the crowd. You are not discouraged by the challenges you face every day. You do not waver when you fall short of your goals. You are steadfast in your commitment to achieve excellence and be your best self. You have hope. You have heart. You have a bigger vision. So dream big. Find something and someone to believe in. Have confidence in the knowledge that you have what it takes to go the distance. Keep looking up, keep moving forward and have a bigger vision.

All On Board

You have not lived totally until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. John Bunyan

One weekend, there was a terrible train crash in our community. There was loss of life and many