Perspective

Although I like to believe that the world continues to somehow, mysteriously center around my little routine life in Salem, OR, I am always reminded in strange ways of my ridiculous naivety. The other day, I found myself in an Emergency Conference for nurses, medics, EMTs, and PAs. I showed up early to volunteer, which basically meant that I stood at a desk and checked people in, handed out agendas, and free crap. After the initial volunteering, I was shown into the auditorium at Salem Hospital where the only empty spots were in the very front row by the speaker's podium. Awesome. So myself and two other volunteers uncomfortably sat down in the front row and waited for the first speaker to be introduced: a trauma surgeon at Salem Hospital with a presentation on "Massive Emergency Management" which was basically prioritizing patients/injuries as pertaining to her time in the War in Iraq. Her slideshow was full of her personal pictures of the facilities in a mini-hospital (a glorified tent in the middle of the desert, equipped with tables strangely fit for surgery). Although, her and her team were forced to make due with the barest of the bare minimums in equipment, they were able to temporarily save soldiers until they could be transported to the bigger hospital. The team often wore shorts and scrubs into surgery due to the 140 degree weather. She basically slept amidst a bunch of materials in a defensive barrack under ground. And yet was so passionate about the work she did and her part in fighting for the country. At the beginning of the presentation, she initially stated that there was no need to discuss the politics behind the war. She was there, and she would save lives. End of story. This was an extremely powerful and intriguing presentation that really knocked some needed perspective into my life (regardless of my hectic due dates and college apps). I couldn't help but envy her, but at the same time feel extremely blessed to have so many people across the ocean fighting and protecting those back home. And I can only pray for the safety of these courageous men and women.