It was early evening. The free parking hour had arrived, increasing the popularity of the meter spaces — making grabbing one a challenge. We were up to it, won a parking space, and started our evening. Flanked by parking meters the sidewalk, a solar furnace in August, was punishingly hot still. We were reading lighted window menus every 5 yards letting the wine list decide where we’d dine, when instead a window seat called our name. The evening was beautiful but hot, inside window seats were premium and we jumped on it.
The food was good, the wine better, though one really shouldn’t drink wine on a hot night because it provokes a giddiness that gin never does. The lone disturbance through most of our meal was a diner with iPhonitis, a condition for which I demand a cure or jail time. The lone disturbance that is, until, without warning, and luckily for my stomach, at the conclusion of the meal and the bottle of wine, an elderly man outside our window seat collapsed on that unyielding sidewalk.
The short story is, someone started CPR and I saw an Automatic Defibrillator used. The restaurant next door was an approved public access center for AED’s, and the owner and staff are trained. The ambulance came, the victim appeared to partially wake up, though he didn’t look great he was moving, once the ambulance came they were off — the hospital being only minutes away.
The whole experience was enough to make me feel nervously inadequate, so as the evening wore on I started texting people who knew people, who knew people, who knew people, and Sunday afternoon I was in a CPR class. It was the one for health care workers because it was the only one available. It was an all day event from which I emerged with a resusitation facemask kit (this exact one as a matter of fact but for 12 dollars less), and confident that if the life could be saved I’d be able to save it.
As Bone said, summer is waning, and though Autumn does not feel as close here I’ve noticed the shorter daylight. It makes me feel more desperate, like those closer to the autumn of their life must feel. Like the man on the sidewalk might have felt. I’m sure there are better poems and songs about increasingly shorter days and autumns of life, but I think only of this verse from an old show song lyric sung by my grandmother through one summers visit when I was 8. She told me it was about love. I always thought it was about death.
But if I’d ever leave you,
It couldn’t be in autumn.
How I’d leave in autumn I never will know.
I’ve seen how you sparkle
When fall nips the air.
I know you in autumn
And I must be there.
Jeez. I hope the old feller is ok. My many CPR certifications feel like good citizenship. I show up every time and only hope it does some good one day.
I walked back there last night and talked to the guy at the restaurant who had the aed and they said the EMT’s told them the guy survived.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
knowing cpr makes a huge difference if it’s begin immediately. good for you coop, health care cpr isn’t that different, believe me.
gillian recently posted..Abortion a personal issue; government doesn’t belong in exam room
I had CPR in high school, again in college and at the first bar I worked at. It changes every few years as they decide what actually works. It’s worth knowing, more to save family and friends than anything else.
I hope the old man survived, it’d be nice to hear a success story.
g recently posted..James Balwin
It is more to save those you love.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
I started taking CPR when I had my first child. I make my employees take it and keep current, it’s a benefit and requirement.
I like it when summer wanes, better golf.
The song is from Camelot, and it is a love song, but you have a point about the death thing.
jacob recently posted..Tigers Playing
Ahhhh, Camelot.
Ya, i’d think parents would want to be as equipped as possible to save the little ones if something when wrong.
The guy giving my course said when his kid was 2 the kid inhaled one of those huge plastic Easter Eggs…he said “like who knew”… he ended up pulling back on his cheeks in order to try to disturb the suction and it worked…scary.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
A guy I used to date did the Heimlich on a women choking at a restaurant once. It was some extremely large piece of meat.
The schools here don’t have a requirement for them yet, at least not in general they are required at all school athletic events but at some schools that is via either the sheriff or the local ambulance that is at many of the games. Some schools are public access with coach teachers that are trained, but not that many. I think they should be required in all schools elementary through high school not just atletic events – why not.
If I were a teacher I think I’d be compelled to be certified.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
I think I always have the same feeling this time of year, but can never quite describe it. Like something is slipping away and there’s nothing I can do about it. But the something feels like more than just a season.
Lovely lyrics.
And I think it’s wonderful and admirable that you went and learned CPR. (Also, I’ve spent several minutes fascinated by how “cpr” is “cooper” without the oo and the e. You can mostly just ignore me.)
Bone recently posted.."The summer swells anon…"
CPR is also Bone without the B O N E, and with added letters c p r.
You can mostly ignore me.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
You have me seeing death in a song about love, and this is why I come here.
I do CPR every two years but I’ve yet to save anyone, strange as much as I fly. I have come to the aid of a few fainters, and more than a few drunks but none of them needed CPR.
I’ve seen a lot of fainting in my time too, and carried home a few drunks. I’ve watched people help chokers and I’ve helped rescue someone out of the ocean ..but they didn’t need resuscitation.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
Fun tip: The proper rate of compression for performing CPR is 100/min, or precisely the tempo of “Another One Bites the Dust”
I refuse to be held responsible if anyone reading this one day has to perform CPR is heard humming THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE SONG POSSIBLE while doing so.
EsotericWombat recently posted..I, for one, was rooting for the $4 trillion coin
That’s good to know/. Keeping 100 minite or more is not that easy, one tends to slag off.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
I haven’t noticed shorter days. I can still see sunlight at 9:30pm. Its cool that you thought to learned life saving training. I’m constantly reminding myself that I wish there were so much more I could do to help people. It would be nice to feel useful for a change.
Bennet recently posted..Drowning In Obviousness
Really? It’s fairly dark here at that time now.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
I used to lifeguard and had to do the CPR thing every year. I should probably get a refresher.
Chris-The Fold recently posted..Stox Go Wild
yea with twins and all….
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
I knew CPR when I was 18, it is time to considered refreshing it. I know the rules have changed and it’s more pump the heart than breathe.
Do you know if the man survived or not?
Any song about leaving can bring about thoughts of death, but you were an odd child were you not?
I don’t know I’m just asking.
caseyjake recently posted..Next on My List
i so far only know he survived but no more than that.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
Like a lot of people I took the class once , maybe as a freshman in college, and have yet to renew. It’s something to consider.
I hope the gentleman survived. Collapsing on a public sidewalk is not the way I’d want to go.
Children interpret things so strangely sometimes.
ben recently posted..Sweet Bike
I want to go in my sleep, without audience.
cooper recently posted..Another Saturday Night
Beautiful song. I remembered it right away, and I’ve only seen CAMELOT once.
weirsdo recently posted..Reader Response I
This post was beautiful including the man who was the conduit for you learning CPR. Not sure he was beautiful but the writing was
I could hear the music for the song in my head but can’t remember the song or play just that it’s one of those songs that’s in the background of life somewhere–probably piano bars
As for days getting shorter. Yes. Some people find beauty in waning daylight; I find no metaphor or beauty just days getting shorter as is life–OK a metaphor but I prefer metaphors to quietly jolt
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