Happy Girls' Day

As I was reminded in the Pediatric Clinic today, it's Girl's Day. When it was pointed out that Girl's Day no longer exists (rather it is Children's Day fittingly celebrated on Boy's Day, *grin*) I was told that "in Hawaii it's still Girl's Day". I suppose that's true. I remember Boy's Day growing up. Actually I thik there are some really old, moldy, dying videotapes of me flying carps in my grandfather's backyards

The emergency room rotation is coming to a close. A couple of recent patients struck a chord. They come into the emergency room and you just can't put your finger on it. Something seems wrong, but nothing is really obvious. They look "ok" but something nags at you. You do your best to stabilize the patient, then they're blood pressure drops. So you respond. And then they look "ok" again, but you send them to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). And then you get told that they crashed in the span of 1/2 an hour and ended up intubated and severely sick. And you wonder, what was going on? It makes the fragility of life so evident. You never know what is going to happen in the next second, next minute, or next hour. It literally could be life, then death. So truly live life to the fullest. Reach out and connect with people.

And as you celebrate Girl's Day, you remember the last patient you had in clinic today, a 2 week old infant girl. And as you hold her in your arms, you think what a cute little girls she is. And then you think of all the things you read about in books and have seen in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). And you area astonished and blessed by the miracle of life again. Beecause of all the things that could go wrong, of all the missteps that could potentially happen in nature, and it's amazing how many of us turn out "normal".

And you wish everyone a Happy Girl's Day as you ponder these things. And you sit and wistfully smile. Happy Girl's Day.