T'was the night before Valentine's Day...

...and there was not a stir in Bankstown Hospital! So here I am on my 3rd night of my week of nights and it's 5.15am in the morning! So far the shift today has been rather quiet...although I probably shouldn't speak too soon! But yeah so far only have had to take a couple of bloods (APTTs), put in just one IVC, and do a couple of med charts/fluid orders. Oh - also learnt something new tonight - that patients need to be reviewed after receiving pack cell transfusions for fluid overload. So have had to review a couple of those patients. Yeah I really can't remember why they have to be reviewed...what's the difference between the patient receiving blood and the patient receiving IVFs...? But it does seem vaguely familiar that reviewing a patient's fluid status is important after a blood transfusion...just can't think why atm...can anyone enlighten me cos my brain is too dead to think right now! So yeah when the nurse asked me to review the patient I was like "what for?!" and I must've looked pretty dumb! Oh well...I'm happy to learn from nurses!

So yeah a vast difference tonight compared to the previous two nights. I think it's due to the fact that yesterday the normal teams were there during the day to manage the patients whereas on the weekend, the patients hadn't been seen during the day properly and so the MOs have to deal with every little problem. But yeah on the weekend had to put in 2 IDCs in the same man who went into retention twice cos the IDC blocked, had to attend a MET call where the patient died despite CPR, had to certify another patient, and then more of the same IVCs, bloods and the random assortment of patients to review! Ok enough med talk!

So Valentine's day is tomorrow (or should I say today!) - anyone actually know the story behind Valentine's day? Cos I don't! And yet it seems to be quite a big deal in Western society...I don't think I really noticed it that much until this year. But just look at the ads on tv or in the newspaper and you'll see the most ridiculous ads aiming to take advantage of one more special day of the calender. Basically the ads are trying to say, "if you love your Valentine, buy them such and such for Valentine's day!" So you'll see a Bunning's ad or something advertising power drills that are on sale and the ad is suggesting that a power drill would make a fantastic Valentine's day gift!?!?! (Btw I don't know a single guy who'd want a power drill or any kind of tool as a gift for whatever occasion...myself included!!! I don't know why there's that stereotype that guys love tools!) Anyhow I think what this occasion and many others seem to demonstrate is the thinking in today's society that love can be bought. "Don't worry if you've been a lousy husband and haven't spent time with your wife...if you buy her a blender for Valentine's day, that'll fix her up!" And so the ads will have us believe that the only way to express your love for someone is to buy them something. And the more expensive that something is, the greater the love you have for them!

Now I'm probably sounding pretty cynical about the whole concept of Valentine's day and worldly love but in actual fact, I am somewhat of a romantic at heart. It's just that I think if all two people have for one another is worldly love, the kind that is self-centred, only seeking what is good for themselves in the relationship, if their feelings are lustful and only in the passion of the moment...then I think those two people are resting their relationship on rather weak foundations. Such love is vastly different from the love that God shows us...the self sacrificial love displayed when he gave his only Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we might be restored into loving relationship with Him. The kind of love that is patient, kind, putting the interests of the other person before your own. This is love!

So what does that mean for our relationships today and myself? I guess it means that as I go about searching as it were for my Valentine, I wanna be looking at myself honestly and assessing whether I love that person the way God loves us. And then whether that person loves others in the same way. Are they the type of person who would be really disappointed if they didn't get a dozen roses on Valentine's day? Or do they share that greater understanding of true self-sacrificial and other person centred love?

So now that I'm getting on in years (apparently!)...the pressure seems to be mounting to find a girl, get married, and settle down. I attended 5 weddings at the end of last year, friends who aren't too much older than myself. Not unoften is my mum asking me "so have you met any nice girls lately???" Or perhaps she'll hint not too unsubtlely, "You know, one of my colleagues at work has a 30 year old son and he's still not married. Can you believe that?!" Even when I went to Malaysia my grandma who's 86 told me she wanted me to hurry up and find a girlfriend so I could take her back to Malaysia to meet her...although I must say she did wisely tell me to pick carefully... She almost made it sound like all you have to do is go shopping for one as it were and simply pick one off the shelf after shopping around a bit! No...it takes a bit more effort than that I think! And being so busy with work this year...I guess it'll be even harder! If only there were an easier way...

...so who'll be my Valentine???!