Stevie
One thing I've always loved about the city is the rush.
Whirls and blows of wind blast you with urgency as taxi cabs, expensive cars, and old cars zip past with only one thing in common; wanting the fastest route to their destination as possible. The same urgency lies in the people on the sidewalks, but with less than half the speed of the automobiles. A few times a minute, you'll feel gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, brush against your shoulder as someone hastily barrels past you, obviously too slow for their frantic pace. Upon eye contact with strangers, most will smile, some will stare, and the rare few will flip you off, having problems at the moment greater than your own.
The smells of the city rush past you as well, saying hello for a moment, but goodbye the next, only to be met with a new smell right after. Whiffs of strong cologne cause your face to scrunch up instantly as you hurry your pace to get ahead of it hopefully, and the next second your face relaxes as the smell of freshly baked bread dances up your nose. Simply rounding the corner will offer the smell of burgers, making everyone in the radius's mouth salivate at the second.
Choruses of hellos, goodbyes, and occasional slaps by an angry girlfriend at her boyfriend sound through the air along with chimes from doors opening to shops and salespeople shouting their extraordinary deals that no one else could possibly have. Every now and then, a car's loud honk will practically make you jump out of your skin, but after sharing a smile with a stranger who also reacted in the same manner, you don't feel so mad about it.
As the chilly end of summer air softly brushes past my cheeks, before gliding down the rest of my body to greet me as I exit my apartment complex, I can't help but smile out at London. A few strangers smile at me as I stand outside the door, watching the morning rush of people fly by to work, simply amazed by the nature of it. The difference between the people who left on time versus the ones that left late is unmatched. The casual walkers have their coffee or tea in hand, smiling at the scene around them as if unaware of the state of urgency that has infected and replaced the oxygen in the air. It's almost like they are immune to it. Even as people angrily slam into their shoulders and not-so-gently push them out of the way, they recover quickly, not allowing the sour moods of others to taint their own.
There's also a massive difference between those who are simply brisk walkers and the others who are blaming everyone else for them being late to work. If you simply looked at their legs, you'd see no difference between any of them, but the difference lies in their arms. Some are stretched out forward, to pry in between the other people passing by, praying to get ahead by even one person. Others are high in the sky, waving frantically at taxi's roaring by, unfortunately, filled with people who had the blessing of somehow catching one on their morning commute. The brisk walkers, however, have one at their side and the other hand supporting their favorite beverage with caffeine of their choice. With their calm demeanor, but otherwise quick pace, you question their energy and almost want to ask where they got it from, whether it be coffee or some kind of supplement. Instead of pushing people out of the way to get past, they simply twist their bodies to slide through the crowds of people, offering apologies if someone was a bit too harshly bumped.
The plentiful cups of coffee I had this morning are already jump-starting my system, so I too join the brisk walkers. With my twelve hour shifts at work, three cups of coffee are expelled within hours, requiring at least one more cup on my lunch and this is only when I get a good night's rest.
Being a CRNA, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. All I must work is Monday-Wednesday, 6 A.M.-6 P.M. and I'm not on-call. When they need help at the hospital or when my favorite surgeon, who also is the Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, wants me to be in her surgery, I will pick up extra hours.
Another rewarding aspect of the job is how many people we save. Working at the Royal Brompton hospital in London has been a dream for me. One of my favorite chapters in anatomy was the cardiovascular system, and that's our hospital's specialty. People come from far and wide across the UK to get their surgeries done at our hospital. Every day when I walk in, I never know who I'm going to meet or where they are from or the condition they are in. The suspense keeps me going from the time I wake up until the time my shift is over.
The chemistry of anesthesia is another thing that keeps me going. It was my absolute favorite subject in school, along with biology, and when the two intertwined, I was in my prime. With great fluency, I could and can speak the language of chemistry as if it was my first. Every time I think about how anesthesia keeps neurons from communicating in the brain or how it isn't needed during brain surgery since the brain doesn't have any pain receptors, I'm completely gobsmacked. The way the body works is already fascinating, but when you add in chemistry, it's invigorating for me.
Another language I'm fluent in is that of the people, it's what drew me to nursing over the med school. Empathy has always come easily to me, and one thing people have told me throughout my life is that I always know the right thing to say at the right time, but also the time to listen. Whenever someone's nerves need to be calmed before surgery or when people have questions about their anesthesia and the anesthesiologist is busy, they send me in. To relax people in such a way or to nurture them after their surgery is the most rewarding thing about being a nurse. If my job was to simply talk to patients all day, I would love it all the same. The added bonuses are the science of it and the pay, but what gets me up every single morning, is the people.
With a quick flick of my thumb and a small pop, the lid on my coffee canteen pops off. Before I can even lift it to my lips, steam dances out, carrying the wonderful smell of my vanilla coffee with it. A smile forms on my face as the scent seemingly warms me up. The American in me can't let go of having coffee in the morning, but I do have decaffeinated tea at night.
When the warm liquid enters my mouth, the coolness of the air seems to evaporate around me. As I swallow, it's so warm that I can feel it travel all the way down my throat before entering my stomach. My tongue dashes out across my lips, finding a subtle sweetness left behind from the coffee.
"Excuse me," I call loud enough for the person to slow their pace ever so slightly for me to slip in front of them. Since I'm only 5'4, getting through crowds is my specialty. Weaving between tight spaces is like an added bonus for city life. Crowds are not my cup of tea, so being able to get through them and out of them quickly eases me ever so slightly.
When everyone is walking the same way, like on the sidewalks most of the time, I'm just fine. It's only when people are going different directions and touching me constantly, like after a concert, that my anxiety spikes. It hits me like a chilly wave, every ounce of heat draining from my body for a moment before it hits me with full force. My heart accelerates, overcoming the noises of the people around me. Anyone who is around me or with me fleets my mind as fear fills it. Before I know it, I'll be running, trying to find a safe place to hide.
The thought makes me inhale deeply and clench my coffee canteen tightly. When my mornings are ruined, so am I for the rest of the day. They set the tone of the day for me. With hope, I breathe out, hoping the sick feeling that has been filling my stomach is expelled with my breath. It helps some, but it takes my entire walk to work to truly calm me down.
As soon as I enter the hospital, a smile forms on my face. Every day I can come to work, I'm blessed. My life is my job, but I'm not complaining, not for a second.
Hi hi!
Thanks for reading! Once I edit the next few chapters, I will be posting them. Hope you like it so far :)
