How many times have you been in a conversation that starts something like: “What have you been up to?” And the reply is, “Not much.” Or, “What’s going on?” “Nothing.” . If you take these typical responses at face value, it would seem that everyone has a whole lot of nothing happening in their lives. So it got me thinking, could I make the topic of this week’s “Tuesday’s Thoughts” about nothing? . It’s kind of difficult writing about nothing, because as you read this, you’re reading something. An…

It’s Saturday night and I’m sitting in my truck on the third floor of the hospital’s parking structure. I’m nearly finished with my pre-work routine, that is drinking iced coffee and chomping on some chocolate. It’s too early to go inside so I’m relaxing and staring out onto the landscape. It’s calm and peaceful, the way an early Saturday evening should be. The sun is setting in a clear blue sky, there’s no wind and, at the moment, there’s no one around me to cause any annoying distractions. . I…

I recently came upon a Hindu quote from the eleventh century and while I don’t remember the exact words, it generally talked about riding a boat on the river of life. Sometimes that river twists and turns, other times the current is fast and at times it can be calm. . As I started to think about it I began to wonder what type of boat we may need during our journey through the different phases of our lives. There are moments where we might need to be on an ice breaker when things are difficult, a…

I don’t know if you can relate, but it seems the older I get the dumber I feel. This is especially true when I’m at work in the emergency department or on the ambulance. I watch with a little envy as the younger nurses and paramedics zip through a patient’s chart with the ease of a scalpel slicing through warm butter. They know all those little nuances like how to find a phone number or where a certain tab is located. Ask me to download a specific file, access a certain drive or tell the differe…

“Life is like a box of chocolates; you ever know what you’re going to get.” I’m sure you’ve heard this quote before and I was reminded of it this past weekend while sitting in the ambulance. . More particularly, I was thinking how this quote is reflective of every shift I start as a paramedic because you never know what’s going to happen. You could be involved in something easy or difficult. There might be a call that causes a lot of mental and physical stress or it could be so slow that boredom…

I’ve started writing this week’s “Tuesday’s Thoughts” early Monday morning. So early that many of you are still nestled in the Sandman’s arms and have been coaxed into the dream realm (hopefully it was a good journey). It’s a little after three in the morning and you’d think that people with such minor issues as a stuffy nose would avoid waking up and braving the cold in order to come to the emergency department. Then again this place never shuts down and I’ve seen stranger things make their way…

My intention is to not elicit an emotional response or seek pity, but the story below is presented with the purpose of shedding light on the issue of addiction. Let me begin by clarifying that addiction doesn’t just pertain to the dependence on a substance like alcohol, heroin or meth. It can also refer to such acts like binge eating or compulsive shopping, too. . Many years ago I had a friend with an addiction to gambling. I never knew the extent of his obsession until it was too late. As his a…

I recently came across this quote, “Not everyone will understand your journey, but that’s okay. They need to understand their own, not yours.” . If you know me, you’ll understand that my greatest desire, the very thing that makes me tick, is my need to be creative. Whether it be through the visual arts (painting, sculpting) or the written word, the creative process defines a large part of my personal journey. . With that being said, I’m excited to announce that I’ve finally finished my most rece…

I have a routine while I’m driving into work. It’s nothing complicated, but nonetheless it sets the mental groundwork for how I approach my shift. If I mess it up, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll be off my game for several hours. . You have to realize that there is no easing into a shift in the emergency department, especially the night shift. It’s kind of like the baseball bat of awakening being smashed across your face. You walk into pandemonium, jump in feet first and start frantically …

The man grunted with irritation as he stomped across the sidewalk on his way to work. His frustration only ballooned when he thought about the argument with his wife, his son’s computer crashing, daughter’s below average math grade, the leaky faucet, the car’s battery needing a jump and now he was running late. He scrolled through his phone as a way to occupy his mind or maybe it was to divert his thoughts from the stress waiting for him at the office. The headlines slid by with a swipe of his t…