Like I have said before, it feels like both Pete and I are burning the candle at both ends and there is not much left in the middle. One end burns to the other – what then? I guess the flame goes out. And what happens when the flame burns out? I guess we’d sit around in the dark and twiddle our thumbs. This would be just fine. Some of our best talks are at the dead of night, when I can’t sleep and wake him up, so that he can pass the time with me.

Today we had Wilderness First Responder class – it went from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It began with our getting our CPR certification. We first watched a very long video and then we took a written test.

Okay, there were several scenarios in this video – the first and most important involved a man who just had cardiac arrest in his home. His wife called 911 and she was told how to do basic CPR over the phone; this was until the medics arrived. They arrived shortly thereafter, with their expertise and the defibrillator.

Information continued to be imparted in the video – there were human and there were manikin subjects. I found myself getting impatient because I kept wondering – what happened to that fellow who had cardiac arrests. The narrative was such that he continued to be used as an example. But, in the end, they did not indicate whether he lived or died. He could have also been the fellow who was taking an aerobics class in a pool and had a heart attack – but this was a differing story that came at the end of the video.

We took a 30 question multiple choice exam after watching the video. I got frustrated because I had not put in my new surround sound system and so I could not hear the video. Also, my inability to hear required additional energy. Pete and I got lucky – we had passing scores – just barely. I do not know what Dorothy would have done if we’d had a failing score.

I was so caught up in finding out what happened next that I missed getting the salient details. Now the youngsters in the class filled out the test answers as they were watching the video. I then realized that we all inhabit differing worlds. My world is primarily story based. Had I been asked to write an essay after seeing the video, I would have gladly done this and brought all the characters back to life. I would have called this video “Hearts Apart.” Actually, it had all the elements of a soap opera. The hands-on test was far easier, in part because I’d watched the video.

I will go back in the next few days and review the basics of CPR because it is really important. Let’s say someone collapses during strength training. I know where the AED is and I know how to do CPR.

I’m going to call this my semester of empowerment.

Next: 82. 3/24/19: The Secret to Longevity