OLD AND CRANKY. AND RIGHTFULLY SO.

April 23, 2007

I wrote Old and Cranky. And Rightfully So. after a shift that hit me in the gut—not because it was dramatic, but because it was real. First call back after a few days off, and I’m face to face with a man whose whole world reeked of infection, loss, and rage. He hated doctors, hated paramedics, and told me we killed his mother. Every word out of his mouth was venom… until the very end. A quiet “thank you for the blanket.” That call stuck with me. Reminded me that anger often masks pain—and sometimes the smallest kindness cracks through.