There is a long standing metaphor for those who are seemingly overwhelmed by life. It involves being a boat in a turbulent ocean, waves crashing from all directions, a fear of drowning under all the chaos. Then the feeling of being anchored to one solitary thought that seems to make everything worse makes one wonder if they should just cut the anchor line and allow the current to sweep them away. After all, a ship afloat with the ocean fares better than one which fights against it.
Right?
On my morning commute recently I was listening to Radio Lab (which you should be listening to by the way). The episode Gray's Donation chronicles the story of a mother who traces down the donated organs of her dead newborn baby a year later.
During the story she encounters the researchers who are advancing therapies and research thanks to her son, Thomas, who died at 6 days old. In a way, Thomas lives on because of the amazing resilience of newborn cells. The mother now sees her dead son as a colleague, a co-worker, of the researchers after seeing his photo in a break room with a note reminding researchers of who gave the donation they use to investigate diseases in the young and old alike.
During her search for Thomas's organs she says she felt overwhelmed by the process, as if it was consuming her.
What she said next almost made me stop the car on the side of the road.
"I felt like I was a ship on an ocean that was rocky and choppy with waves. Then I had this feeling that I'm not the boat, I'm the ocean. Like, the decisions I make are changing other people as opposed to I'm just a boat getting slapped with waves all the time. And it has made me feel...powerful." - Sarah Gray
That hit me like a tidal wave.
"I'm not the boat, I'm the ocean."
How many of us are struggling with work, home, hobbies, sports, finances, you name it, fighting tooth and nail just to get 5 minutes alone to take a break yet find no relief?
How many of us are bringing this all on ourselves?
EMS is stressful but it doesn't have to consume you. Not everyone burns out in this job, not everyone gives up. Even though things seem impossible and like your little boat is going to capsize in this giant stormy ocean step back and ask yourself...
Am I the boat, or am I the ocean?
I think you'll be surprised at the answer.
Right?
On my morning commute recently I was listening to Radio Lab (which you should be listening to by the way). The episode Gray's Donation chronicles the story of a mother who traces down the donated organs of her dead newborn baby a year later.
During the story she encounters the researchers who are advancing therapies and research thanks to her son, Thomas, who died at 6 days old. In a way, Thomas lives on because of the amazing resilience of newborn cells. The mother now sees her dead son as a colleague, a co-worker, of the researchers after seeing his photo in a break room with a note reminding researchers of who gave the donation they use to investigate diseases in the young and old alike.
During her search for Thomas's organs she says she felt overwhelmed by the process, as if it was consuming her.
What she said next almost made me stop the car on the side of the road.
"I felt like I was a ship on an ocean that was rocky and choppy with waves. Then I had this feeling that I'm not the boat, I'm the ocean. Like, the decisions I make are changing other people as opposed to I'm just a boat getting slapped with waves all the time. And it has made me feel...powerful." - Sarah Gray
That hit me like a tidal wave.
"I'm not the boat, I'm the ocean."
How many of us are struggling with work, home, hobbies, sports, finances, you name it, fighting tooth and nail just to get 5 minutes alone to take a break yet find no relief?
How many of us are bringing this all on ourselves?
EMS is stressful but it doesn't have to consume you. Not everyone burns out in this job, not everyone gives up. Even though things seem impossible and like your little boat is going to capsize in this giant stormy ocean step back and ask yourself...
Am I the boat, or am I the ocean?
I think you'll be surprised at the answer.
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