Saturday, August 03, 2013

Ebb & flow

I've not lived somewhere where everyone is conscious of the moon before.

It's partly because of Staircase, partly tidal, partly just living in a small community where everyone goes fishing. And perhaps just a willingness to pay attention, to engage with the world.

The moon is a bit of an ogre in medical circles. Working in ED, a full moon is always commented on - "it's going to be a busy one" - an excuse for lunacy and mayhem. There's even been studies, but no correlation proven.

Without causality, though, there's still a tidal nature to work up here.

An empty ward, and a quiet afternoon.
A call to resus.
A chance to catch up on paperwork.
An emergency transfer on the day my colleagues finish up.
A wander in the market.
An angry teenager and a dying child.
A teaching session.
The call from dinner to delivery suite.
Sunset with feet in the Indian Ocean.

Frantic, and then quiet. The tides rushes in and then slips away. The full moon hovers, and wanes. Lunacy and mayhem, then stillness and reflection.

We are at the mercy of the tides.

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