Scrolling my phone looking at old pictures, I stopped abruptly for a revelation (not in the prophetic sense, but rather as an epiphany). What did I see? A woman dressed in a costume resembling Florence Nightingale; however, she had no lamp.
The costume worn was versatile. On several occasions, the skirt would be gathered and tucked in the waistband to reveal white pantaloons and cavalier boots. The vintage hair covering was replaced with a pirate styled nursing cap. While she has a sword, she chooses to throw it down preferring to battle her enemies with a crutch.
Today, August 15, 2023, I ask myself, “Who are your enemies?”
[A long pause.]
I pick up Florence Nightingale’s (1969/1860) book, Notes on Nursing What it is, and What it is Not, and randomly open it to read, “Remember he is face to face with his enemy all the time, internally wrestling with him, having long imaginary conversations with him. You are thinking of something else. ‘Rid him of his adversary quickly,’ is the first rule of the sick” (p. 38).
I had a new vision, I saw the once Chairman Mao Zedong standing at a podium saying, “Bú dào Chángchéng fēi hǎohàn” (Pang, 2023, Heroes Overcome section). Pang translates Chairman Mao’s quote as meaning, “. . . to get to their goals admirable people must overcome difficulties.”
My next vision was shedding the morbid black dress to jump the wall wearing nothing but combinations (19th century underwear). On my journey home, I would find the lamp, face the adversary, and learn to fight with the sword.
Reflecting on the Evidence
- Identify the adversary.
- Discuss how you battle the adversary OR how you help others face the adversary.
References
Unknown. (2018, February 13). Pirate Nurse [Photograph].
Beck, R. (2017, September 23). The Missing Lamp [Photograph].
Coughlan, I. (2021, April 29). What did victorian women wear under their clothes. Eternal Goddess. https://www.eternalgoddess.co.uk/posts/what-did-victorian-women-wear-under-their-clothes
Dictionary.com. (2013). Pirate. In Dictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pirate
Nightingale, F. (1969). Notes on Nursing What it is, and What it is Not. Dover Publishing. (Original work published 1860.)
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Epiphany. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphany
Merriam-Webster (n.d.). Prophetic. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophetic
Merriam-Wester (n.d.). Revelation. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revelation
Pang, K. (2023, February 1). 12 popular Great Wall sayings – Proverbs, idioms, and famous phrases. China Highlights. https://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/culture/famous-greatwall-sayings.htm
Wikipedia. (2023, January 26). Cavalier boots. In Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_boots#Maritime_use
Wikipedia. (2023, August 14). Mao Zedong. In Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong
Related Work
Beck, M.S. (2017, September). Storytelling in the digital world achieving higher level learning objectives. [Paper presentation. Performance. Film.]
Beck, M.S. (2018, February). A pirates journey. [Paper presentation. Performance. Film.]. Library Science 3200 Storytelling. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C., United States.
Special Thanks
Delores Bunting, reviewer and editor for The Missing Lamp. And even more thanks to Delores for buying and gifting me Florence Nightingale’s (1969/1860) book Notes on Nursing What it is and What it is Not. What a wonderful impact you’ve made in my life! Big hug.
Alicia Marangoz, fellow missionary, reviewer for The Missing Lamp.
Time Traveling Nurse 
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