Of Heart & Noses

One of the requirements of my position at Elon is to stay current on my and Red Cross CPR and Firs Aid Certifications.

So tomorrow I will be participating in CPR training (please don't have a heart attack within my immediate vicinity for another 12-to-16 hours, thanks). And I am not saying I snuck a peek into the training box that was delivered a day early in preparation, or that I removed items from said box and lined them up and then photographed them, because that would have been wrong.

But if I had, they might look something like this:

 

Y’all (remember that’s North Carolinian for you all) I live in terror that someone, person or beast, will fall gravely ill near me. It's not that I fear death (but oh, how I do fear death!), or that I fear the work involved helping alleviate the suffering of others (but oh, how I do dread the suffering of others!) - I have given it a lot of thought and I think it's that sense of helplessness when someone needs you and yet you can do nothing for them. Even if you are certifiable certified.

So, yeah. I don't know how much this will help relieve that panicky feeling I get when a student has a medical emergency, or when I must stay overnight to help an elderly friend get to the bathroom in the dark. Probably not much. But if you have radiating chest pain and are currently stored in a blue cloth zip bag, I soon will be able to pound on your chest most effectively. Baby steps, my friends. Baby steps or Noses as the case may be.

I wish I lived closer to my younger siblings…they are doctors, nurses and therapists Oh MY….I am so lucky and they are so SMART!