What We Carry: A New York Paramedic's Story

Is there a secret to living a happy life? How is it that we so often stumble through life searching for contentment, only to find that it becomes so much more elusive with each plan? So much of our existence is nonsense. We get stuck on “survive.” What if this was your last day? What are your regrets? What have you learned? Who would you share these final and profound thoughts with? Interacting with people who are near death, dying, or simply living on the street allows us, as prehospital care providers, to see beneath the facades—to glimpse the best and the worst of humanity. What’s left at the end of the day is often a burden of stress and heartbreak that somehow allows us to put life into perspective.

This selection of real stories from the streets of New York offers an underlying stream of wisdom that has come from seeing more in one week than most of us see in a lifetime. What we carry—the remains of our life experiences—helps us place our priorities in order, keeps us grounded in the moment as a path to joy, and hints at the prospect of a time on Earth filled with deep meaning.