Currently I am sitting in an aquatic center located 266 miles from my home. I got up at 4 am and drove 4 hours this morning so my 12 year old could come to an all day water polo training. Of all people least likely to care enough about athletics to drive this far for practice, I am probably it. I love my kid. That is the only reason I'm happy to be here and already calculating the volume of 5 hour energy drinks I'll need to consume to make it back home tonight.
My kid isn't the best but he loves the sport and I think this will be good for his ego/self-confidence. Who could have ever explained to us the things we would be willing to do because we love our kids so much, the sacrifices we'd be willing to make. As I mentioned, he's 12 and the youngest one in his grouping here so he wants me to stay-8 hours on the bleachers watching him practice. But he's my baby, so even though I'd love to sneak away for a couple of hours, each time he steals a glance up here and smiles, it's worth it.
I worked in the ER a couple of days ago. I was called over to help out in the shock rooms towards the end of my shift. During my residency, fellowship and early days of practice I didn't mind taking care of the critically ill patients that were brought into the emergency room. But, it's been about 7 years since I've done that sort of thing so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. And I've never taken care of trauma patients, just patients with heart attacks, strokes and altered mental status. A large volume trauma was coming in and they needed all hands on deck. Lucky for me and the patients, I only had to triage minor injuries. However, the whole experience left me rattled. It reminded me just how fragile life really is. One minute you are going over the grocery list in your head and the next minute you are gone. You could tell a lot of the younger doctors and trainees relished the thrill of it all and the rush of adrenaline. Maybe they went home later that night and contemplated the sanctity of life, but mostly it seemed like a thrill ride for them. That's not bad, just shows you what a few years and a few life experiences will do for you. The experience affected me for days afterwards. I couldn't stop thinking about the fragility of our existence and how, as a health care provider, I'm entrusted with so much.
That night when I got home my 9 year old daughter was still awake. She had been waiting for me and it had been a rough nite for her, arguing with her brothers and subsequently getting in trouble with her father. While she was in the shower with me, letting the hot water carry all our burdens away, she detailed her list of offenses. Mostly, she was to blame and she knew it. She realizes she incites her brothers to anger and can incur the wrath of her father with just a look. Actually, she seemed quite pleased with the control she possesses but at the same time was saddened by its frequent negative outcomes. I decided to tell her about my evening in the shock rooms. At first she was flippant, but as I continued to talk she soaked it all in and for the moment she understood that most squabbles don't matter because life is precious.
That night was God's display of Newton's Third Law of Motion. In one part of the world one family was trying to make sense of the incomprehensible and elsewhere that life, though unknown to her, was being honored by a little girl through her realization that you can't take the people you love for granted. God bless hurting people everywhere and let us be mindful of the precious little time we are gifted.
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