My father recently had major surgery on his back that required him, at age 75, to spend ten days recovering in a rehab facility. Rehab facility is, of course, the modern code name for a nursing home. His first night there, still feeling the effects of the anesthesia two days post op, and doped up…
Category: My LIfe
Two Jobs: Good and Bad
I’m back at work today on the ambulance after four days working the desk job, reading run forms, working on education presentations, and entering trauma data. There are good and bad things about each job. Here’s a brief run down. Desk job: The Good – I can sleep until 7 in the morning. I don’t…
I Almost Died Today
I almost died today. As we approached the intersection I looked up and I saw my death coming at me. It was a large box truck. I quickly calculated that at its rate of speed eastbound on Park and at our rate of speed southbound on Broad, there was going to be collision. The box…
Life
Clearing out my garage a few months ago, I came across a fifteen year old notebook in which I wrote down my monthly goals. Be a good man. Read 5 books. Work out regularly. Do 30 pushups in a row. Be a good EMT Get 2 Ivs. It was from a different time, a different life. I…
On the Night You Were Born
I stood by the hospital entrance I thought your mother would drive through so she would see me. It was dark and cold and I had to stomp my feet to keep warm. Then I saw her drive by. She didn’t see me, and as she continued toward the parking garage, I ran after her,…
Room
I’ve been doing a serious garage and house cleaning. I do it a couple times a year. I always manage to throw a good bit out, but never quite get control. I’m no pack rat. Paramedics won’t find my rigored body underneath a collapsed stack of yellowed newspapers, but I have stuff. A month ago…
No Work Today
I feel like I am unemployed. Everyday I check the pager. No shifts. Years ago when I lived in the Midwest and was a day laborer, I used to go down to the work office every morning. When things were good it was unloading trucks, roofing, or working in an plant – making frozen fast…
Changing Season
People were out raking today or in many cases using their high-powered blowers to clear their lawns of the orange and red leaves still falling from the trees. They didn’t have those blowers when I was a kid. I’m lucky though, I have a small yard now and don’t get many leaves. The ones that…
Waiting
I go back to work tomorrow morning at six. I last worked the Wednesday overnight in the suburbs, which really wasn’t like working because I slept all night in a bed, and only did one call at five-thirty in the morning, and I didn’t even have to tech that one. I was planning to work…
I’m Walking
I had the day off today so this morning I went to a Jamaican church in the north end of the city. I arrived late and was escorted by chance to the front row just as the lead vocalist and gospel choir started singing “Highway to Heaven,” which was great because I knew the song,…
David
I got an email titled “Sad news.” It is from my friend Tom. “Hate to break this to you in an e-mail, but David died yesterday. He was found in his home when he did not report to work, dead of an apparent heart attack. I will forward funeral information in case you can attend….