“A penny saved is a penny earned,” or so goes the quote by Benjamin Franklin. Oh sure, if you don’t have anything, than a penny is something. But, is it something worth having? For my dad it was because, as it turns out, it was one of the things he collected. . There were jars of them tucked away in the basement. Most were shiny, almost like they had been newly minted. I think that’s why he had saved them. Nothing like the intrigue of a shimmering coin; almost like discovering a treasure even th…

“Ch-ch-changes Turn and face the strange Ch-ch-changes Just gonna have to be a different man Time may change me But I can’t trace time…” . If you’re a David Bowie fan, then I’m sure you’re familiar with these lyrics to his song, “Changes”. While not my favorite Bowie tune, I do believe that it’s a pretty good fit for everything that’s been taking place over the past couple of months. . Years ago I remember someone facetiously say that death and taxes are the only guarantees in life. I suppose yo…

Sometimes I feel the emergency department, and the ambulance for that matter, is a beacon of light. Imagine if you will, a lighthouse with its beam reaching out into the world and guiding the way for those in need. Now, put a big Family Feud X across that image and fill your ears with that annoying buzzer. What I’m talking about is the light to a zapper; the kind that attracts bugs, or in this case, the strange, out of the ordinary humans. If you’re an old school rap fan, then you’re familiar wi…

Have you started your day and realized that things weren’t going to turn out well? I can only describe it as a vague, almost imperceptible, feeling. Something like a disturbance in the force, or maybe a tingling of your “spidey sense” or possibly an alarm rattling your subconscious. Whatever the case, think of it as a storm cresting the horizon and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. . Something similar happened to me last week. This particular day started off amazingly well, but deep down I …

“Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward.” This is a long overdue shout out to my paramedic family, my comrades, my homies, my longtime friends. As you may have guessed from the above Oscar Wilde quote, this week’s thoughts are about experience. Why experience you ask? Well, first off it’s EMS week. Secondly, it sprang into my mind the other day while working on the ambulance. I found myself reflecting on the unusual situations I’ve been in…

I’m fairly certain that over the last week Fate has been busy wielding her knitting needles, rocking in her chair and relentlessly chugging energy drinks. Feeling indecisive, she's chosen yarn from several piles all for the purpose of weaving an unusual somberness through the frontlines. I say this because there’s been a shift in the way our department is run. And from what I’ve read and heard, this same infliction has woven its way through many emergency rooms throughout the nation. For starter…

Years ago I was given this advice, “Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” I’ve come to realize that this is a popular quote and its meaning has long been discussed and debated. What I believe that person was trying to say was that if you take care of the small finances, the bigger ones will take care of themselves. Basically, it’s a quote about the benefits of being thrifty. Which brings me to a second piece of advice that my uncle once gave me. “No matter how b…

I’ve been lucky enough to have been born with strands of the handy man gene embedded into my DNA. I thank my dad for teaching me the basics when I was a kid as well as passing on his sense of craftsmanship. Trust me when I say this, I’m far from being perfect. I do possess a willingness to try and learn, and I don’t know about you, but I excel at making mistakes. Maybe I should say that I’m even better at learning the hard way. When I’m left with a decision I think about that Robert Frost poem “…

If you’ve never seen the nature sculptures and photography of Andrew Goldsworthy it’s worth a moment to delight your visual intellect. Years ago I watched a video of him stringing together one of his intricate ice sculptures. A few hours into the project the piece completely fell apart and in a most unemotional tone he simply said, “Oh well.” I don’t know about you, but if that happened to me I’d use every cuss word known to man. Case in point, with an accidental click of a button I recently los…

Here’s a snippet of a cover song performed by the 80s hair band Tesla: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.” Or this one by Z.Z. Top: “But you did, but you did. And I thank you.” I’m using these lyrics as a way to express my gratitude for the outpouring of support you have given us frontline workers. From signs tapped in windows, drawn on sidewalks, propped in yards or assembled in front of the hospital; through the donations of food, hand sanitizer and safety glasses; to the cookies and cards that h…