My wife, son & I spent the evening at the 35th reunion of my old rescue company. I come home somewhat sad this evening, and I’m not sure why. This is stream-of-consciousness, maybe I can figure it out. Maybe it’s the Christmas phenomenon, this was a very special occasion and we think we should experience some sort of silvery pure joy from such a time, so when it’s less than stirring, we are disappointed. Maybe that’s it.
I did see a lot of old friends, many of whom were very important in my life. We sat with JT & Patti, two old friends who met while working there, and whose daughter just graduated with our son, Tim. (I was best man at their wedding, twice.) Also with Tom, an official at FEMA, who got his start in the business right here. (I succeeded him as county emergency services director. We called the director’s Jeep the “Batmobile.”) But I talk to Tom frequently, and he is considerably closer to me than my DNA-related brothers. Ditto with John, who is at Homeland Security. Oh, I did see my dear friend Doug, who founded the Rescue Squad and was the first Chief. I hadn’t seen him since the funeral of another very dear friend, “Dr. Jim,” who started in medicine via EMS. And others, some of whom I see now and then, and others I only see at these reunions. I did enjoy introducing Tim to my old friends as the newest EMT in the company. JC couldn’t make it, I was sorry about that. She and an old boss of mine and I really changed the nature of the company when we took it from an all-volunteer organization to a mixed squad, career and volunteer. When we did that, it was not providing 100% first-call coverage and the finances were in the toilet.
I guess I no longer feel a connection with the organization, though. It was a huge part of my life, and I do look back on those days now and then with great longing. But a lot has happened in my life since then, not all of it pleasant, and that’s just no longer my world. It’s Tim’s place now. I need to keep in touch with some old friends – but I’m not sure if I’m terribly looking forward to the next reunion.
Random thoughts -
I’m reading Al Gore’s new book, The Assault on Reason. Absolutely dynamite, and so extraordinarily disturbing. I also found an early John Mortimer Rumpole collection on bookfinder.com, and that’s most enjoyable. And lots of others in progress - I’ll do an updated canon sometime soon. On the eighth day, God got back to work and created bookfinder.com.
I turned on the TV for some background noise when I came home. The channel it was tuned to had a poker competition, complete with little cameras focused on the hands and breathless announcers. What the fuck? Have we descended so far down the non-participatory slope that the flickering images we watch hold us rapt and staring even when it’s a fucking CARD GAME?
Major personal project underway - more later.
Oh, back to the EMS topic for a moment. This week, Tim worked with a very good medic who started shortly before I hung up the stethoscope. I sent him an email and thanked him for teaching Tim the ropes. He wrote back the most curious email, and I’ve been thinking about it: “No thanks necessary. You taught me. I teach him. That is the way of the Jedi.” Damn, I wish I could think and write like that.
My trusty old Dell laptop lived through the operation. $111, and I could buy one on eBay for that, but it wouldn’t be the same.
Tomorrow, the week begins again. Pippa passes.
Mizpah.
R
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5 comments:
I adored the Rumpole books! And I read an auto-biography by John Mortimer years ago too, which was highly amusing. I am still ploughing my way through this very vague historical novel about Dr
Samuel Johnson and James Boswell.
Clank, does the novel focus any on Boswell's boozing and floozing?
Roger, I'm married to a Star Wars geek, I get your friend's message, and it's very sweet.
Also, I think reunions depress us all not just because they don't live up to the golden expectations, but because they remind us of our ages and of the paths we did not take.
i felt depressed at my 5 yr high school runion. it was mostly the fact that almost everyone else there was married and had kids at 18. on top of it, they were all getting drunk while their kids were playing with the other kids. Few of them had left town and some still lived at home. My guy and i were the only sober people there and we didn't stay long.
jilly
Rosa...not as yet. It is mostly about the relationship between Dr Johnson and a child.
your postings are very poignant and touching -- many thanks for these glimpses of your life
:)
Four
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