| shut up christine | |
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Sunday, August 04, 2013 ( 3:59 PM ) shut up christine full circle in the last month i completed my 30th revolution around the sun makoto and i celebrated our third year together and i settled into a new home and new job huge milestones :) every day i am reminded of a particular moment in time that set a series of events in motion. 2007 monsoon season. the tekra had flooded, displacing hundreds of people they sent a group of us volunteers into the tekra each of us armed with a backpack of band aids a mob surrounded us, clamoring for help in a language i didn't understand pointing to their open wounds embarrassed at my uselessness, i gave out my stupid useless band aids and repeated the words i'm sorry probably a thousand times that day i didn't know at the time how this experience would influence so many of my choices in the years to follow six years later i am a home health nurse many times i have the uncanny feeling that i am retracing old steps again i am sent out into the community each day with my backpack of band aids except this time around i also carry with me a knowledge and skill set that took me all this time to build i don't have to say sorry to you today. i can help you now i would like to mention a specific incident last week i was in a patient's home and he had to be taken to the ER within minutes a group of paramedics rushed in, filling the room with their testosterone one of the medics was somewhat rude to me maybe this speaks volumes about my insecurities, but during our interaction one thought pervaded my awareness: had i been more attractive and beautiful, i doubt he would have spoken so condescendingly to me. as i'm giving my report to him (i'm wearing scrubs btw) it was as if he thought i was a layperson. as if i didn't speak english. it's bizarre when this happens to you professionally. i overhear one paramedic ask another, "does this look like VTACH?" i think to myself, homeboy. how can you not know what VTACH looks like? for the record, i do speak english, and ekg reading is my specialty there are people who will always judge you by your appearance. for future reference, shut it down. prove them wrong #
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