Developing a Meta Question?

As I said I want to blog about my experience throughout the Queen’s Nursing Programme. All the highs, learning, and creativity.

On day 1, not long after we arrived we were introduced to the concept of developing a Meta Question. To be honest I had no idea what a Meta Question was , never mind develop one!! 😂

We were asked to think about and develop throughout the week what our unique Meta Question would be. My mind immediately went to my project. We had been asked on the application form to outline a piece of work which we would work on over the 9mth s of the QNIS programme. (That was after I googled what it actually meant.)

My first attempt was:

How can I empower ordinary people to perform acts of kindness to support families who are supporting loved ones at the end of life?

However during much discussion throughout the week of reflection , soul searching, action learning pulling apart our original concepts and attempts to arriving at the end of the week with our finished article.

Final draft:

How do I continually seek ways to feed my soul in order to flourish?

I discovered that Meta Questions have been around for a very long time. Meta questions are questions that allow us to peel back the layers of some bodies experience and see what is going on behind the scenes.

Its like asking a series of questions in order to answer the original question. Exploring at a much higher level thoughts and feelings.

Since our week, I think about my question everyday and have put in place very practical ways at the minute which will help answer my Meta Question.

I have started to read for 20mins every day

restarted Yoga class

Started journaling

bought a hula hoop.

Looking forward to discovering how to answer my Meta Question.

Awaking from slumber with the 5Rythms

I started my day yesterday dancing, well probably more moving to the music.

I remember in primary school having music and movement where the teacher played some music and the whole class got up and moved to the music. I always hated it.

The girls in my class all had great figures and looked great when they moved but I moved around the classroom more like a hippo from the film Fantasia. There fore I always shy away from any public display of movement. I get up to dance at a night out not because I love the music and want to dance but more because of peer pressure and I don’t want to be a spoil sport.

Anyway, on the Thursday morning of the QNIS programme, we were asked to meet in the ballroom and when we arrived there was a beautiful big room where weddings are held however the floor was empty.

Brendan explained we were going to do an exercise called 5 Rhythms by Gabrielle Roth.

I thought OH NO!! I will hate this.

Just to explain the 5Rythmns is a dynamic practice to workout and meditate in the same breath. Practicing them helps us to become attuned to the underlying patterns in our every day existence.

Well the music started and we all started to move a bit awkwardly at first but by the time we finished I had completely embraced it and my body moved with the music with complete freedom, twirling, flowing, stamping , swaying . It was quite an amazing experience and out of the whole week one which spoke to my being and fed my soul the most.

I feel I have gained so much from that 1 exercise, confidence, sensation and fun. I danced with my Tribe wholeheartedly and experienced freedom through moving my body😊

Thank you for unleashing an energy that I wasn’t aware of 🤗

A search for meaning

There are so many wonderful things I want to share with you about the experience at Balbirnie House and starting the Queen’s Nursing Programme.

I have chosen to start with Spirituality and a search for meaning.

All of my adult life I have been drawn to engage and discover my spirituality and I don’t mean that completely from a religious framework but from a need to feed my soul with ‘ life giving’ ways, if that makes sense?

It was my search for meaning.

A personal spiritual journey that led me on pilgrimages to the Himalayas, Iona, Taize, and other places, discovering practices of mindfulness and stillness, self compassion, creative prayer. I even completed a course run by the Scottish Churches Open College called Training for Learning and Service and twice in my life have almost went into ministry😊

The reason why I am starting here in relation to Queen’s Nursing is the fact that all of the above was a search for meaningful connection with something bigger than me and coming along to become a Queen’ Nurse is part of that journey.

A big part of the QN’s programme t is about deep reflection.

Reflection is a word with 2 meanings: It’s the image that you see when you look in the mirror but it is also the insight you get from looking inside yourself.

Many of the practices we experienced during the week helped us to do exactly that both professionally and personally. In later blogs I will explain some of these practices and insights and I hope to inspire some people to explore and deeply reflect .

It is essential for your self care and improves decision making.

I will end today with s short self compassion meditation which we can all benefit from.

May I be well

May I be happy

May I be free from suffering

May I live with ease

Namaste😊💜

Balbirnie

Monday 25th Feb 2019 started normally. Google maps indicated that my journey would take approx 2 hours. I was heading to Balbirnie House in Fyfe for the beginning of The 2019 Queen’s Nursing Programme.

Little did I know that this day would be the beginning of the most amazing week of my life.💜

It was a spring like day, and the drive was non eventful. Arriving at Balbirnie was spectacular, a long drive and big beautiful house.

Before we arrived we were asked to bring something from home that we loved and this item would help you introduce yourself. I looked and thought hard about what I would take, I decided to choose a stone with a mosaic heart on it. I was given it as a gift and I love it. I kept remembering that I had to bring it. I felt good that I knew it was in my car I hadn’t forgotten it.

As we all gathered excited, nervous, apprehensive , arriving and gathering and observing.

Well we all sat down together in one of the many beautiful rooms and the introduction exercise was the first thing we were doing on the programme . Well did I not leave the stone heart in my car so I was the only person in the room without their item!!😢😂

Not a great start but it did get better from there on in🤗🤗🤗 Looking forward to sharing xx

😊

Starting on my personal journey to become a Queens Nurse

I have decided to write about my personal experience as I journey towards becoming a Queens Nurse.

How it started.

Out of the blue Clare Cable CEO of QNIS emailed me in the Autumn of 2017 and asked if I would speak at the next QNIS conference in April 2018.

She asked if I would talk about Compassionate Inverclyde and in particular about nurse leadership in the community. I was thrilled. I emailed her back and said yes and then some time later we spoke on the phone.

I knew as I started to speak with Clare on the phone at that moment I wanted to become part of the QNIS family. I had never met Clare but I knew from talking to her on the phone she was a remarkable woman.

I spoke at the conference in April 2018 which was a wonderful event, listening to the wonderful work the new Queens nurses were doing and I got to meet Clare then for the first time. I was completely in awe of her. Her passion for community nursing was immense and I just knew I needed to become part of this movement.

I asked Clare how to apply and she said look out online for the applications to become open so I waited with bated breath.

As part of the application process you need to be nominated by your organisation so when Linda McEnhill CEO of Ardgowan Hospice completed her part of the application form I was delighted and grateful for the backing of both Linda and Ardgowan Hospice.

Deep reflection is what is asked for when completing the questions for the application form which felt a wee bit like writing 5 essays but I managed it and submitted it and was selected for interview.😊

The interview process was a full day, it felt a wee bit like speed dating although Ive never actually done that ! 😂

I was successful and was selected to be part of the 2019 Cohort.

And so it begins……..