Sunday, October 10, 2010

A Trip of Dotterel

When I am inserting a peripheral venous catheter into someone's vein, I am doing nothing. When I am in love I am doing nothing. When I am picking up groceries I am doing nothing. This is how I survive. By doing as little as possible.

The ancient Persians carried large wicker shields that protected them from arrows and spears. They would march their line to within about one-hundred meters of the opposing army and set up their shields like a wall. From behind this they would take to their bows and darken the sky with arrows. After this initial attack, the cavalry would ride in among the enemy and do battle with those who had not been killed or injured by the archers. Meanwhile the foot-soldiers would again attack but now with their spears and swords. They were usually successful.

We are repeating a more recent past.

It looked like asystole to me. I was assigned to the defibrillator so I figured the doctor would call it done and I could leave and get on to other things. "It could be fine v-fib," he said and he asked me to shock the patient again. We all looked at each other. "Clear?" I said, and then I pressed the button for 360 joules. The husband of the patient was standing in the corner of the room. Nobody was explaining anything to him. I could see that he was on the verge of tears.



Rachel Podger is my favorite Vivaldi player and her solo Bach is great, too. She specializes in Baroque violin, but I'd really like to hear her do the Beethoven concerto someday.

An omniscient and omnipotent deity would know what he was going to do next. Indeed, he would have to do what he was going to do next, and he'd know it. He would be like Sisyphus.

It pleases me that dogs dream.

3 comments:

Been There said...

Being exists in nothingness. Sisyphus had a task which let him know he lived. He ascended and topped the hill and was released. Perhaps he felt relief from his burden. Perhaps he walked down the hill. Maybe he was tired. Perhaps he ran down the hill. Excited, even joyful. Whatever emotional state he was in, one thing is clear. Despite the expected or perhaps perceived danger, he was quite safe. The outcome remained the same. His being remained intact.

Been There said...

{PS You are not a homeless person.

Been There said...

In others words, just being yourself and doing you doesn't kill you.