When the EMT asked me for my husband's social security number, I knew it by heart and was able to provide it. I had a flash back to the day we met - over 31 years ago, on a 20 hour bus ride from Oklahoma to Wisconsin for a summer band camp.
I was in high school, and he had just graduated. On that long over-night bus ride, he did his very best to entertain and impress me, and I went right along with it. A graduated senior? Interested in me? Heck yeah, I'll play along!
We spent the long night bantering, flirting, and getting to know each other. One of the silly discussions we had was about how to memorize numbers. He tried to convince me that if you break up a long number into smaller segments, it would be easier. Not only that, but if you break them into unusual segments, all the better. Take for instance, his social security number. Rather than memorizing it as XXX-XX-XXXX, he had memorized it as X-XXX-XXX-XX. He swore that it would be easier to remember that way.
I guess he was right, because today, over 31 years later, I still have his social security number memorized, and was able to give it to the EMT right away.
As I followed the ambulance to the emergency room, I remembered that silly conversation, all those years ago. I was struck by the fact that the very first day we met, he gave me information that I would need on this day, which in a remote chance could be our last day together.
Thank goodness that his chest pain was not severe. Thank goodness that all his tests and vital signs are returning "normal" results. Thank goodness he's in good hands, spending the night in the hospital for routine observation and a stress test in the morning. Thank goodness that it wasn't a life-threatening situation today. Thank goodness for these last 31 years together, coming up on 28 married years.
Very thankful, indeed.
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Your first mention of an ambulance about took my breath away! Thank God your story has a good ending. I still cannot remember my S.S. Yesterday I called my husband from the dentist office to ask him my social while I was filling out papers. Maybe I should try your method.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your concern... very happy to report that his heart checked out perfectly healthy. Now we need to figure out what caused his symptoms.
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