"Why do you do What you do, and how can you Love it?"

"Why do you do What you do, and how can you Love it?"

                Introductions, when meeting someone for the first time you are always met with the initial introduction. “Oh hi, I’m (so and so), nice to meet you. Where are you from? What do you do for a living? Etc….” I have the pleasure of meeting new people all the time. I recently was speaking to someone who I had just met and they asked me what I did. I explained to them that “I am an EMT, full time. I volunteer with the local Hatzalah, the Fire Department, and I work for a commercial ambulance service as well.” “That’s really cool, how do you like it?” He asked. “I love what I do” I said. He then asked me a question that really made me think… Why do you do it, and how can you love it? Now, that was a very good question, and at that moment, I really didn’t know how to answer. How could I put into words why I do what I do and how I am able to love it all at the same time.

                For those who are in this field, they can tell you that EMS is a love/hate relationship. We have good days and we have bad days. Some days you help bring a new life into this world, and some days you have to be there to escort a life out of this world. It’s a hard job… So why do we do it? Honestly, I’m sure that everyone has their own reasons, there isn’t just a standard answer as to why people do it. Ask 100 people and you will get 100 answers. Some people say that it is their calling, some people say that they just fell into it, the answers run the gamut. So the answer is not the same for everyone. I think for many of us though, it is the feeling of being able to help those who are in need. Yeah, it’s exciting to drive with the lights and sirens, we do get an adrenaline rush when the tones go off and you don’t really know what you are running into. But at the same time, all that excitement, doesn’t hold a candle to the feeling of being there for people in their worst times. It is a challenge.

                So how can we love it? I can tell you why I love it. I love my job, I love EMS because every single day I have the potential to make a real difference in someone else’s life. Whether it is providing life-saving medical care or just being there to talk to someone when they need, I get to be that person, I get to truly help them.

                I think at the end of the day, I love my job, and I love to volunteer because I get to give every day, and that for me is an honor…

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” 
― John Bunyan