"How long have you been doing this?"
Every time he gets asked that question, he either looks at the ground, or off in the distance and just says quietly "Long Enough."
Usually the questioner senses the immediate change in his demeanor and changes the subject, sensing that they either hit on something he wishes not to discuss, or perhaps they are afraid of the answer they might get to the next question.
Truth be told, he is actually expecting that next question, but it never gets asked, at least not yet. On the day he does get the second question, he'll answer that he's been at it long enough to loose that swagger that you are issued with your first EMT or Firefighter Certification. He's been doing it long enough to know that all you can do, is the best that you can do. He's been doing this long enough to know that you can see something new at any given moment and you have to handle it. He's been doing this long enough to know that he will never see it all. He has been doing this long enough to laugh at those who claim they have 'seen it all', because he knows them for the fools that they are.
He's been in this long enough to know that the pain of somebody else's tragedy can take a long time to ease. He's been doing this long enough to know that life is nothing like a TV show. He's been in this long enough to know that some die even when you think they'll make it, and some live even though there is no hope for them. He has been doing this long enough to be humbled by the complexity and resilience of the human body, as well as how frail it can become at times.
He's been doing this long enough to know that making judgements about people and their life situations is both wrong and a waste of time because mostly, you can never really know what their situation is, or how they got there, and any judgements you make will likely be terribly incorrect.
He's been doing this long enough to learn that laughter, especially in the back of the ambulance, is a precious thing and can have great healing powers.
He's been doing this long enough to know that he is just a cog in the system and that his purpose is more to provide comfort than treatment, but both are important.
He's been in this long enough to believe that the greatest invention of the 20th century was home smoke detectors and he can't understand why everyone doesn't keep them installed and working.
He's been doing this long enough to have made friends with many of the ghosts that haunt his nights, but he is still working on some of the others.
He's been doing this long enough.
UU
Every time he gets asked that question, he either looks at the ground, or off in the distance and just says quietly "Long Enough."
Usually the questioner senses the immediate change in his demeanor and changes the subject, sensing that they either hit on something he wishes not to discuss, or perhaps they are afraid of the answer they might get to the next question.
Truth be told, he is actually expecting that next question, but it never gets asked, at least not yet. On the day he does get the second question, he'll answer that he's been at it long enough to loose that swagger that you are issued with your first EMT or Firefighter Certification. He's been doing it long enough to know that all you can do, is the best that you can do. He's been doing this long enough to know that you can see something new at any given moment and you have to handle it. He's been doing this long enough to know that he will never see it all. He has been doing this long enough to laugh at those who claim they have 'seen it all', because he knows them for the fools that they are.
He's been in this long enough to know that the pain of somebody else's tragedy can take a long time to ease. He's been doing this long enough to know that life is nothing like a TV show. He's been in this long enough to know that some die even when you think they'll make it, and some live even though there is no hope for them. He has been doing this long enough to be humbled by the complexity and resilience of the human body, as well as how frail it can become at times.
He's been doing this long enough to know that making judgements about people and their life situations is both wrong and a waste of time because mostly, you can never really know what their situation is, or how they got there, and any judgements you make will likely be terribly incorrect.
He's been doing this long enough to learn that laughter, especially in the back of the ambulance, is a precious thing and can have great healing powers.
He's been doing this long enough to know that he is just a cog in the system and that his purpose is more to provide comfort than treatment, but both are important.
He's been in this long enough to believe that the greatest invention of the 20th century was home smoke detectors and he can't understand why everyone doesn't keep them installed and working.
He's been doing this long enough to have made friends with many of the ghosts that haunt his nights, but he is still working on some of the others.
He's been doing this long enough.
UU
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