Sunflowers and Waiting Rooms

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." - Jane Howard

One of our family members (mom) had to visit the hospital this evening, nothing serious but still warranted a visit — you know how these things go. About one hour into our wait they, the EMT's, haul in a drunk fella who seems to be able to sum up just enough of a vocabulary to ask, and I quote, "Anyone wanna fight?"; oh and he is spitting up a storm much to the nurses chagrin. If you ask me this is a pretty sad use of EMT services even for our slow town and pitiful state of affairs for our lush considering it's only nine thirty at night.

Now I think — and this is probably why I am not in a position to administer those administering care to others — that there is a point where barring serious danger to ones health you don't get a free ride through the whirlwind of long waits and boredom that is our health care system. If you are drunk, stoned or otherwise inebriated in a self inflicted way you have to pay to play. After all you didn't exactly suffer an accidental downing of large volumes of your favorite bottle of Colt 40 now did you.

Personally I would roll our wheelchair bound liquor cabinet outside where he would be free to challenge the bushes to fisticuffs and spit up a storm. It's just a smidge above freezing out there and I am sure the cold night air would speed up his return to sobriety.

Pictured above is said family member back in September being towered over by her much beloved sun flowers. Not that towering over her five foot frame is a feat.