Eye in the Storm

I miss silent nights. 

What I would give to sit and enjoy the silence in the cold crisp night, with a tinge of a chill in the air and the stars above lighting up the sky, wrapped up in a snug blanket with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. 

Magical. 

These days I live in chaos, in the bustling, busy world of the emergency department and it is a rare moment to be able to sit back and enjoy a moment of silence. The constant stimulation wears away at my nerves, frays the edges of my patience and I sometimes feel stretched to the core trying to maintain the humanity that I try so hard to with my patients. 

Then again, there are always those moments of laughter - feel good moments that make you realize that things aren't too bad after all. 

One busy night in resuscitation, one of our patients woke up from a comatose state - and ensued a good fifteen minutes of hilarity as the cheerful, demented Chinese uncle proceeded to strike up random conversations with the staff while simultaneously trying to get out of the bed sans clothes. I had a good, honest laugh watching the nurses trying to coax the senile patient back into his bed. 

I still miss silent nights, especially during nights at work where all hell is breaking loose. 

But then again, sometimes you just have to find your eye in the storm.