What to Say...

It happened again today. They patronized me. They patted me on the back. They put me on a pedestal. They said "I could never do that." and "It takes a special person to do what you do." I still don't have a good response to all of this. I know not everyone can do what I do. I know not everyone can stand the site of blood and vomit or a grotesquely twisted limb. I know that not everyone can "stay cool under pressure". (I want to let you know that I don't really "stay cool under pressure" but I can sure do a mean job of making it look like I am.)
When I decided to be a paramedic, it wasn't because I wanted recognition. It wasn't because I wanted people to think of me as a hero. Quite honestly, I did it because I thought it would be a really cool job...and I like helping people. Admittedly, I also love it partly because of the adrenalin rush. When I flip on the sirens, it still makes me giddy inside. (And it's pretty awesome if/when the ways part when those lights come on.) And I still like helping people.

I try to think back on when ambulances and sirens first caught my attention and what I might have said to someone who told me they were an EMT. I really have no idea. I wonder if I'd have simply said, "That's cool." Or, maybe I'd have ogled over them & what a hero they were. I can't say for sure. But I wonder what THEIR response would have been if we'd had that discussion.
I know a lot of first responders expect praise and attention when they tell people what they do. I am not one of them. In fact, I try to avoid talking about what I do just so I can dodge the undo praise that immediately follows. It also helps me to steer clear of those people who want to hear horrifying stories just for their shock value.
A colleague of mine recently dodged the patronizing cascade when she said "Well not everyone could be an accountant either. I would jab my eyes out about 2 days into that. Everyone has their own thing they like and are good at." Well said...although I would have chosen a comparison that was slightly more interesting than an accountant...such as the fry guy at McDonalds.
Nonetheless, here I am and this is what I do and sooner or later I'm gonna have to come up with a good response when people start uncomfortably gloating over me. This is not to say that the occasional thank you or other words of praise are not appreciated. Everyone likes a pat on the back once in a while. Everyone likes to know they are needed. But not everyone wants to necessarily be on a level above the rest. Some of us just want to go about our normal daily lives without always feeling like we stand out from the crowd.
When I became a paramedic, it never occurred to me that I would ever be considered a hero to anyone. The thought never crossed my mind that my friends would call me in the middle of the night with medical concerns. I never imagined that both kids and adults would stare at me in wide-eyed wonder as if a real-life Superman had just walked into their midst. 
I was born and raised in South Dakota. My family worked hard for everything we ever had. Nothing ever came free. We were all just normal people trying to get by. Certainly no one was ever put on a pedestal and rarely was anyone referred to as a hero. We were taught to do the best we could with what we had and to never treat anyone as inferior. Rather quickly after becoming a paramedic, I found out that the hardcore humble work ethic of my small South Dakota community was not as widespread as I had once thought. In the "real world" people worked just hard enough to get by and still expected as much praise and recognition as the world was willing to shower upon them.
Contrary to how the "real world" works, I am, and will always be a small-town South Dakota girl with my home-grown ethics and mindset that I am not superior to anyone. Maybe that seems counter-intuitive but let me ask you this: Does anyone truly love and/or trust someone who is "superior" to them? You know the answer.
Not everyone is going to trust me or love me or like me for that matter. But, I can do my best to ensure that the greater majority of people I come in contact with throughout my life will do so to at least some degree. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a socially unstable freak who simply wants the comfort of knowing everyone likes me. (Granted, depending on who you may ask I'm sure I am a freak and/or unstable in many ways.) What I don't want is people to hate or resent me. I want people to feel comfortable when I come to them in their time of need.
So, I love it that people appreciate what I do. I love knowing that kids and adults admire me. I love it when a call turns out well and my colleague or boss gives me the nod of approval. But next time we meet, for my sake and yours, don't act like I am some super-human being that has no essence of normalcy. I am simply human too and I'm just doing the one thing that comes naturally to me.