I’m up a little later than I wanted to be (the story of my life) but not later than I need to be. I have time for a few words here and to prepare for my CPR Instructors course at a leisurely pace. My anxiety is sky high. This is very far outside of my comfort zone and my usual schedule and to my body and many parts of my mind that means danger. I’m trying to stay calm, to breathe, to be confident, but I’m battling myself and those battles are the easiest to lose.
Still, I am somewhat excited too. I’m excited about what comes after today (and after the world begins to recover and life returns to some semblance of normalcy and safety). I’m excited to be able to teach people how to save lives. Like, how awesome is that? I get to teach people to save lives! So, even though my body is indicating otherwise, this is far from bad or dangerous. This is actually really exciting.
I’m done! I made it through almost 7 hours of CPR instructor class and passed with flying colors. I demonstrated my skills, passed the written test, and learned how to help people perform the same skills more effectively. The class as a whole was easier than I anticipated, but longer. It was also a little strange to take this course in the midst of a global pandemic.
Precautions were taken to avoid any close contact between my classmates and I. We sat 6 feet apart and did not share any equipment, and after leaving or entering the room we had to wash our hands and use hand sanitizer and the entire room was disinfected while we went to lunch.
All the restaurants in the city are either closed or offering take out or delivery only. It’s hard to know which is which though until you get there. It took a few stops, but we finally found a burger place who’s drive through was still open. It’s strange to think about how much and how rapidly the world has changed in just the past few weeks. It’s disorienting, upsetting, and somehow, freeing.
Everything can change whenever we want it too. For better or worse, the world can be anything we want it to be, and it doesn’t have to take lifetimes. We’ve proven that much.
Lisa Marie Blair 