Time for some death

It's time to do something with this blog. There's not much that I have to say that other people can't say way better. About the only unique viewpoint I have to offer is about the people I see dying. As a hospital nurse, I see folks in the last stages of their lives, sometimes literally as they're expiring. That's something most bloggers don't write about.

If you think about it, it's momentous to be there at the final moment of someone's existence. They've spanned the arc of their lifestory, however long/short, boring/momentous their tale was. But at only ONE instant do they stop living. To be there then is unprecedented and unrepeatable. In an odd way, I'm honoured to be part of it.

Not that I WANT to have that happen. My work motto is "You're not going to die on MY shift." I regard death as a failure on my part, unless it's a palliative patient. Not that I'm afraid of death, but it means a lot of paperwork. And after the body is taken away, I'm going to get a new patient admitted to the dead person's bed, and that's EVEN more paperwork.

As I write about these peoples' end-of-life stories -- which will have details changed to shield their identities -- it will be a way of memorializing the folks whose existences I've shared. Most of us will not be George Washingtons, people whose lives will be read about down the generations. But we'd all like to be remembered somehow. I've seen the summation of some interesting life stories, tales of suffering and courage. It's the least I can do for the people I've seen in the throes of extremity to write their tales, like a tiny candle that burns for them in cyberspace.

So I'm going to start recording some of the sad stories I see at work. It will be a way to teach myself some of the coding tricks of bloggery, too.