I stare at the ER room monitor and want to cry. The security camera shows a boy, not yet a teenager, sleeping on a mattress on the floor in one of our secured “psych” rooms. He was brought in by the police hours ago, after yet another stormy outburst at home. His mother declared he…
Stomaching the Ridiculous
Grabbing the IV tray and medications, I headed into an ER exam room one recent evening. “You *%#($*%!!” Startled, I glanced first at the patient laying on the bed, and then at his companions occupying the two chairs in the corner. All of them stared silently at their cellphones, seemingly unaware of my entrance. “What…
The Chilling Truth About Snowflakes
Ode To A Snowflake (1960) Behold, the Snowflake So lovely and fair Blow it a kiss And *poof* it’s not there. Remember when we were kids and we could stomp on snowflakes in the playground without getting sent to the principal’s office? Not to sound like my Grandma, but I miss those days. I’m puzzled…
A New Year (with) Resolution
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Don’t look now, but your 2019 calendar is expiring. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. With it, goes another year. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. And another decade. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Amazing. Seems like only last year we shrank behind our water bottles and food supplies amassed in our basements in fear of…
High-Tech Christmas “App”-lications
Seeing Through Our Blindness
Relearning the Love of Learning
Giving Thanks for Annoying People…and Other “Blessings”
Breaking News: I Surrender!
Like you, I’m a responsible citizen. I try to be a good neighbor, pay my taxes, and obey most traffic laws. So, being a responsible citizen, I recently paused to catch up on the current news headlines. In minutes, I felt like I was standing behind Dad’s old Farmall manure spreader while it spewed its…
When My Father Went A.W.O.L.
“Did you know that your Dad once went AWOL?” I looked at Uncle Donny, expecting a witty punchline. He was serious. The unexpected question was, of course, totally ridiculous. Totally. My Dad’s military record had been exemplary. He had always been a law-abiding citizen. The idea of him going “absent without leave” was unacceptable. Yet,…
Riding the Techno-Storm
Apologies to Mother Goose, but I think the ol’ gal would understand… Hickory-dickory doc, once my watch was just a clock, now it beeps and pings, tracks steps and Bings, And will keep going long after I stop. Hello. My name is Kim. I was once a techno-holic. My confession may be similar to yours…
A Minority Opinion: Why I Hate Halloween
One quick trip to Walmart confirms what I already know: I’m in the minority when it comes to Halloween. I hate it. In the court of American culture, the majority opinion rules in favor of Halloween, crowning it as our second biggest commercial holiday. Without question, Halloween is a huge celebration involving candy, costumes, games,…
Salvaging the Lost Arts
Some days we sound like our parents. Other days, our parents would object to that comparison. Nonetheless, we all agree the world just isn’t the same as it was. It’s as if little chips of “life as we know it” are flaking off and vanishing into a great void. Is that so bad? Yes…and no.…
The Baby Boomer Briefing: A Promise Kept
I’m an ER nurse, but on the night of my 50th birthday, I worked the graveyard shift on the medical-surgical floor of our small rural hospital. Yup. That right there should give you a clue about how exciting my life is. In preparation for the approaching fifth decade, I’d spent months reading every magazine…