Jeans and Madonna

  Beka - I woke up early a few mornings ago. The feel of Spring was in the air. At 8:30 am, the temperature was already close to 62 degrees. Not bad! It had not been a cold winter in NYC. My favorite clothing store, designed for “chic” young Europeans, H&M, based out of Sweden, was opening the doors to their new line of clothing, designed by the celebrity singer Madonna. Their clothing always fit like a second skin to me -- comfortable and stylish, and always cut well so that I did not need the fitting rooms at all. I knew all my sizes – 38, 40 (sizes 8 and 10 in the U.S.). Generally I would run in and out of the store in a matter of 30 minutes, leaving with a large shopping bag.

I was hoping that there would not be long lines of customers this early outside on Lexington Ave where this store branch was located. Well, my gosh – was I wrong! The lines of customers extended about 2 blocks from the store’s entrance. No running in and out for me this time. As I waited in line with the rest of the shoppers, I struck up a conversation with a 40-something woman who was also anticipating the grand opening. I learned that she was a nurse as well – a nurse with an MPH degree. She worked in research, specifically with gene therapy and so-called “knockout” mice. As we discussed “mice and men,” I was amazed at the number of job opportunities that existed in nursing. One does not have to work at the bedside alone. There are corporate jobs, jobs in law offices, research labs, pharmaceuticals, and public health. The list goes on and on. As the line began moving forward, I asked “Debra” about NP job availability. She had heard of an opening for an NP in a local CTICU step-down unit and gave me some contact information, writing on a piece of scrap paper with a spiral DNA logo.

The sky was blue as the temperature rose; the crowd was beginning to feel restless. It was going to be a madhouse at the front doors of H&M. And I had met a nurse in the crowd and made a connection, all while waiting for the doors to open to see Madonna’s new clothing collection and find a pair of jeans! The crowd surged forward, making a mad dash through the store. I thanked Debra for the NP information as we each disappeared into the store. After 3 hours in the store, I left with a new pair of jeans, having revisited the fitting rooms multiple times. Size 38! Ready to use my new contact information for an NP position….