Thoughts of a Mrs. Modern-Day Mountain Woman- Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Be a powerful medicine man.

My Dad is a very sympathetic and empathetic man. When we were hurt as kids, or when his grandkids are injured, he often says, “Ooooo!!! Owie, owie, owie!!” while prancing a bit in pain for the injured person. He will only do this, however, if he is not being called on to care for the individual. If a parent is there to be the fixer, he is the person offering compassion for the pain they are going through. When he is called upon to be the healer though, he is kind and tough at the same time, able to fix the injury calmly and then able to comfort when the patching up is over with. I remember when I was maybe six or seven years old. I was running through the house and jumping, convincing myself that I “could fly”. I am certain that I was warned several times to quit jumping and to definitely quit stopping myself by running into the living room window, but I didn’t listen. The inevitable happened- I went through the window with my hands and arms. Dad was quick to rush in and see what had happened. He calmly asked if I was ok, which I thought I was until he started checking me over and realized I had gashed my wrist almost to the main blood vessel. Of course, when I saw the blood, I was hysterical, but he calmed me and he and mom were able to patch me up. I was calmed and healed until I learned that I would have to work off payment for a new window!

I am about the same as my dad. If needed, I can step in and calmly fix an injured person, but I would rather not have to! Just the other day our middle child was carving a stick as a gift for me. Her knife slipped and she sliced her finger pretty good. She did everything correctly. She calmly folded up her knife and set it down, cupped her bleeding appendage in the other hand, and came inside to wash it out. I am thankful that Mr. Mountain Man was home, because I was hopping up and down saying, “owie, owie, owie!!” while I washed the finger and slowed the bleeding. Mr. Mountain Man stepped in and quickly and properly bandaged the wound, all without hopping or saying “owie!”! When an injury or emergency happens though, the important part is to be able to know how and what to do if necessary. The only way to be able to help in an emergency is to have the knowledge and training necessary. Sure, some natural reactions will take over without the training, but oftentimes the proper training is what will save an individual from further demise.

Learning to be a Care-Giver.

Most CPR and First Aid courses do not take very long to get a certification, maybe a day or two at most. Wilderness First Aid takes a bit longer, Wilderness First Responder courses take longer, about 80 hours of classroom and field training. My sister-in-law is a doctor. It took her eight years of school and now she’s working through her fellowship program. There is a reason that doctors don’t get their certification in just a few days or hours. There is so much to learn and so much practice and experience that must be gained to be able to knowledgeably care for other human lives. All the training in the world wouldn’t do her any good though if she wasn’t able to relate to and comfort her patients.

Having the knowledge and skills to take care of a person in an emergency is, quite simply, life-saving. Using knowledge without love and comfort is healing halfway. When Mr. Mountain Man helped to heal the cut finger, he did it gently and with a calm and loving attitude. If he had yelled or gotten upset about the accident, chaos would have ensued. Had he bandaged the cut with a distracted or disinterested attitude, the healing process would not have been as smooth. Balancing your knowledge and skill with your love for fellow humans is what makes some people good medicine men.