Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Sometimes there is hope in madness.
Emergency has been crazy for most of the past week. Today was not an exception. It comes and goes in waves. A bit like the weather I guess; it's unpredictable. Sometimes it's so crazy that the doors close under the classification of a code purple, when even the rescue bays are full of sick and dying people. Usually someone is yelling. Or crying. There are anxious family members milling around, trying to figure out the CT scans and colonoscopies and workups and discharge for their loved ones. There are people sleeping, people arguing, curtains open and close, arguments escalade, tempers flare, nurses draw blood, orderlies wheel stretchers in and out, doctors with their stream of medical jargon - CVA, DM, SRCOA, CHF, NKDA, TKR...
I'm sitting in the middle of this, trying to shut out all the noise, to get my paperwork done, considering hiding in a linen closet to get some quiet when a lady starts to sing. She has this beautiful smooth voice. Calm, self-assured. And one by one, everyone falls silent. I think we were all shocked by this unfamiliar occurance. As health professionals, we like to think we know it all. And I think we're all struck by her courage. She's singing to her dying husband and it sings peace into our hearts.
We all turn back to our work, quietly, as she continues her song.
I sign my paperwork, grab my binder and head down to medical rounds and on my way, although I don't remember the words to the song, I'm glad that someone reminds us that even in the midst of the storm, a calm can be found.
3 comments:
Whoa, I didn't know you had a blog. I found your older blog through your profile. That's cool. How come you never told me about this?
I really like your post. You mentioned the stressful nature of your work, and now I see why. :( I want to be more like that lady.
SHEEEEELAAAAA!
You're blogging again! I enjoyed your first post. Did you really write that? It is so good, felt like it was something out of a book. It was very heartfelt, and you seem to pour out your feelings pretty well. You should write a book! Titled "Sheils Feels"... or something like that... HAHAHA.
that's simply amazing. almost as if God was working through her to calm everyone else down. and it's so crazy cuz if her husband was dying in front of her eyes, she was prolly the one who needed the most calming.
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