What if I wasn't a Nurse

I was reading a friend's blog the other day and something occurred to me. I have rarely known a nurse who hasn't at some time in her (his) life said, "if I had it to do over again I'd ....(Fill in the blank with a new occupation)". I know a nurse (she was an awesome nurse too) who put herself through law school. She left nursing behind her. I know a nurse who became an architect. I know one who became a photographer. There's even one who decided to deliver pizzas (and earned a salary very close to her nursing one!) I know a nurse who says she'd rather work at a grocery store but she hasn't made that move yet. I could go on and on about why nurses trade their stethascopes in for other things. I could probably write a whole book on the disillusionment of nursing.
I've had my share of career what if's. And I've spent countless hours trying to figure out what else I could do that wasn't nursing related. From the time I was in middle school, I remember thinking I'd be a nurse. My mom (a nurse) kind of tried to talk me out of it. I couldn't understand why. I thought about being a writer but that didn't seem very reliable.
Then, right before I graduated from high school with a nursing scholarship, I had a major crisis. Maybe I wanted to be a teacher. I liked kids. I liked school. I might even like teaching kids with disabilities. I struggled with what to do. Also, if I was going to be a teacher, I could go to college at the same school that Rex and some of my other friends were at. That school didn't offer nursing classes though. When I was able to stop thinking about going to college with my friends and boyfriend, I finally decided nursing was what I really wanted out of life. But, how many summers did I drive to work thinking, "I could be on summer break right now..."?
Still, if I hadn't gone into nursing, I wouldn't have met a lot of really great people. I wouldn't have been able to help some people during their times of need. I wouldn't have been able to witness the miracle of birth over and over again (it never gets old for me). Most importantly, I wouldn't have the opportunity to be working with my husband right now and I am really enjoying that.
Isn't it funny how things work out?! My husband originally went to school to be a teacher. When I decided on nursing, I never dreamed our career paths would cross. Now, we can bond over draining and culturing a wound. We can discuss broken bones and nasty discharges over dinner. I can stay home with my kids during the day and go on a medical call with my husband in the evening. Nursing is not the perfect profession. But I am happy for the perfect way it seems to keep fitting into my life.