Mondays Missives

• There was a story years ago that still crosses my mind and fascinates me about a guy who got dropped off by a bush plane in Alaska with tons of supplies but, didn't schedule a pickup. When a plane did circle around him a long time later he just waved at the plane. He later wrote a note to the effect,"I think I just made a big mistake." after seeing on the back of his hunting license? that was the signal for I'm OK. The distress signal was to wave your arms back and forth crossing each other. He shot himself instead of dying from the elements.



• What was he thinking?



• When I want to get a laugh at my own expense I've been known to finish a sentence with,"Or so it has been said- according to the prophecy." Or if offered a food I really don't like I'll refer to it as comida del Diablo- food of the Devil in Spanish. The people who don't matter think this proves all kinds of bad things about me. The people who do matter know I'm just being my goofy self and laugh at and with me- and we don't care in which order.



• Here's my recent scary hospice nurse story: a patient in terminal distress demonstrating extreme agitation was babbling on nonsensically for at least 15 minutes while I was getting orders and meds on board etc. to help him. Fifteen minutes is a long time to have someone haranguing you basically in a language you don't understand but, the perpertrator seems to think you should. (Think getting arrested by the Federales in Cabo during a spring break in the misspent days of your youth.) During this tirade suddenly in a clear, strong voice after a brief pause he said,"What happened to you man? You lost yourself somewhere, somehow."



• Yes, just relating that to you sent the hairs up on the back of my neck- again.