I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph. - Theodore Roosevelt, 1899
Yet another catch-up post. I've been spending so much free time on school and on work in the form of third riding for out in-house step up to Critical Care, which means I've been putting in several 70+, 80+, and even 90+ hour work weeks before factoring in school. That left precious little time to spend with the family and naught else. So things like the blog and the podcast had to take a backseat for a bit. It is hard to keep your eye on a goal that is nebulous, but there is a goal there of bettering myself, honing my craft, and expanding my field. I'm hoping that a new generation of prehospital providers will find opportunities for education and advancement, and that they can fuel a renewal of, what is now, a dying profession. I'm hoping that by exploring every nook and cranny of this field, that I can help show people opportunities that they might not have considered. That's a long way off, however, and having met the bulk of the step-up criteria, it's time to take a well deserved break and start focusing on some of the other irons in the fire this holiday season.
It is well worth mentioning that this year has been one of medical expenses and emotions. The youngest child has been to the regional burn center, and has already broken a bone. The middle child is still under care of the burn center. I must admit that I am thankful to work for a place that recognizes the value of family, and that I've been able to rush home or be available for long distance drives to regional specialty centers and my command has been accommodating and supportive. For all of my gripes about the workplace, I am fortunate to work with a great team of people.
I would also be remiss to not mention the tireless work and dedication of my wife, who has effectively been the patron saint of single parents during this busy season. Really and truly, I should probably lead off by singing her praises. She is, without a doubt, one of the strongest women I know.
While I am sad that I will no longer be able to cuddle my tiny infants and toddlers, I can't help was sit and wonder as they grow into the people they are becoming. I have many proud dad moments, but one that stands out during this current season is from a family Christmas event at my part time employer. After sitting with Santa, telling him what they wanted for Christmas, and receiving gifts (along with all of the other children present), the oldest went back and gave Santa one of the rubber band bracelets that she has been working on of late. Apparently this was such a unique event, that Santa wanted to write a thank you to her. He said she was the only child to give him something in return. It was a proud dad moment to have a child whose generosity grabbed the attention of the embodiment of generosity and gift giving, enough so that he felt compelled to write her a letter.
The second instance to stand out was our visit to the burn center with the middle child. I know that she is tough, but she was a whole different level of tough that day. The doctor offered to give her hydrocodone before they started debridement. She was adamant that she didn't want any medicine. I still made her take some Motrin before the procedure. The doctor stated that she was such a great patient, remarked about how she was staying so still and calm. Then after the fact, she remarked to us that normally, they have to use general anesthesia on kids (knock them out) before they can complete the debridement. The middle child hasn't let her injury slow her down. Despite the pain from debridement and dressing, and the baseline pain she was in, she was back to doing cartwheels on the way home.
The youngest had his time to shine shortly after getting out of his cast. He was back to climbing mountains. (The doctor said to keep his feet on the ground, he didn't say how flat the ground had to be). This little bundle of trouble is such a trooper, and is out fulfilling his sense of adventure. I can only hope that he keeps that adventurous spirit. I don't know that I've had more validation of my parenting style than these kids and their refusal to let pain and injury stifle their spirits, never letting it slow them down, and their continued enthusiasm for life's adventure. So much so that they inspire me.
"Mhi ba'juri verde" [We will raise warriors] -Mandalorian marriage vows
The teaching business is still taking those shaky infant steps, but it is making progress. I've acquired my own teaching aids, which means that overhead will get cut down. I've also started exploring expanding the curriculum offered to include more responder level material, primarily geared at workplaces safety teams. I'll shortly have to start putting together a website specifically for the business, in order to better illustrate our offerings to the general public, and also to start having a public portal for people to request or sign up for classes.
The podcast is also slowly continuing to pass milestones. Three months ago we were celebrating 100 downloads. Today, we're over 500 and well on our way to 1000. Small numbers in the grand scheme of things, but huge accomplishments for a couple of paramedics from the middle of nowhere South Carolina. Like my personal education, my co-host (and former partner) and I share a passion and a vision to better ourselves, hone our craft, and expand our field. There are still other podcast ideas in the works, such as a personal one, and one about financial literacy and wealth building with another medic and coworker that shares my entrepreneurial spirit.
I hope to come back to the blog in a much more regular fashion, discussing education, medicine, and wealth building, but I wanted to just take a moment and reflect on the past year. I am truly blessed beyond measure.
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