Karl Whitney: How one long day in hospital brought perspective on connection

Thirteen hours in the emergency department gives plenty of time for musing on the nature of waiting for the next step

‘We look for movement and progression in our lives, even though much of our time on earth is spent experiencing neither.’

Christmas is a time to tell ourselves reassuring stories about the world and our place in it. But sometimes you get the story you don’t expect, one told in a way you had never anticipated.

There were 13 days left before Christmas Day — an inauspicious number in retrospect, if you’re of the mind to look for omens. (I’m not usually, but on this one I’m choosing to go full omen.)