As CNA president, I now have the privilege of standing on the shoulders of the giants who came before me. From this unique vantage point, I can see the fantastic things Canada’s nurses have achieved…as well as the daunting tasks that lie ahead.

Many milestones shape our lives: a first kiss, getting behind the wheel for the first time, casting a ballot in our first election. We call these transitions coming of age because they symbolize the new unexplored territory we enter as life unfolds.

I enjoy the month of May — a time when spring spreads northward, warming Canada from coast to coast to coast. During the years I practised as a clinical nurse specialist, I was a regular speaker at the Oncology Nursing Society Congress. When I left for the congress in early May, the many trees in my yard would be barren silhouettes against the night sky. While I was away, a miracle took place. The trees would leafout, and I returned to the sight and smell of all things new again. It was a transformation — the rhythm of renewal I knew I could always count on. It filled me with hope.

It had been an eventful week. The Governance Task Force, having completed its mandate to propose a new governance model and structure for CNA, presented it for approval at our March board of directors meeting. The board members faced tough decisions and choices that weren’t always clear cut but made considerable progress by agreeing “in principle” on many of the recommendations. To continue to be successful and relevant over the long term, CNA will need to fine-tune its structures and processes. In doing so, we are committing the association to connect with nurses and nursing organizations more often and more directly than ever before.

I don’t watch much television. But as I write this column, I expect my viewing habits are about to change, and I will be taking every opportunity to watch the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. I intend to get caught up in the thrill of the competition and the extraordinary achievements of the athletes. I expect to be mesmerized one moment and inspired the next, watching world records fall and personal bests attained as the seemingly impossible becomes possible.