I Forgot to Remember

By Charlie Melton

I sit down on the loveseat and turn on the TV for some midday viewing. I notice the seat doesn’t feel right.

I turn the loveseat over and see a spring is broken. I can fix that with some wire. I think I have some in the junk drawer in the kitchen.
I go into the kitchen and open the drawer. What a mess. I start digging through it hoping to find some wire.

I start emptying the disaster of a drawer. I toss nasty wooden skewers in the trash. Odd paperwork goes into a zip-lock. Odd change goes in the piggy bank. I scrape the hundreds of screws and bolts into a jar, and I’m done. The drawer looks fabulous. I make a sandwich and go back to the living room.

Wait, the loveseat is upside down. What happened in here? Then I remember I went in the kitchen to get wire to use in a repair. It’s a good thing I’m home alone. Nobody will ever know that I forgot what I was doing.

A faulty memory is a scary thing. Every lapse brings a little thought that this is the sign that we’re losing our minds. For me, it’s a harbinger of eventual inability to control my mind. I picture myself wandering aimlessly around town in my bathrobe unable to remember where I live.

Have I told you this before? I don’t remember.

I don’t know about anybody else, but the eventual loss of control of my faculties scares the heck out of me. I’m a well documented control freak and I often say I won’t ride a roller coaster because they won’t let me drive. Control issues also have made my work life what you could call “chaotic”. It’s the same issue with impending memory problems. They mean I won’t have control.

I really became concerned when I overheard an Alzheimer’s patient doing an oral test to determine his level of dementia. He was asked several basic questions about the year, where he was, the name of the President, and other simple things. He got a higher score than I did.

Being a control freak with a big fear of not being able to control my mind or memory I work to overcome or delay impending dementia. The internet is full of techniques to improve mental agility and memory. I’ve probably tried them all at one time or another.

First up is nutrition. Reportedly if you eat certain things your memory will stay and even get better.

Certain oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and fish oil helps the brain. I didn’t notice my memory getting better when I ate the oils, but my bowels noticed the oil intake and kept me well informed.

If you eat lots of berries, nuts, and seeds your memory will improve. Those worked well because I definitely remember they were very tasty in the cakes and pies I put them in.

Certain foods reportedly harm memory. Two of these are coffee and sugar. Let’s just forget about them.

Next, mental exercise is supposed to help the brain. This method is more to my liking.

Reading is good for you. I kind of dig reading, so I do all I can get away with. Recently, I even started reading instruction manuals for items I buy. It helps my brain and keeps me from breaking any more new appliances.

Puzzles and games are good for your mental agility. Crossword puzzles and Sudoku are good. Chess is a good game you can get for free and play on a computer or smart phone. It helps you think systematically. In chess you have to think several moves ahead, which for me is the mental equivalent of running a marathon.

My wife plays those games where you have to find microscopic things in a hodge-podge of unrelated scenery. She’s very good at it, and it must help. She remembers everything I ever did to make her mad.

I try to stave off the imminent loss of faculties, but what if it sneaks up on me? I work in a nursing home. To be honest, I think I work in a nursing home. I could be a resident in a nursing home. I learned a little technique from a family member. It helps me know the difference.

Every day when I get ready to leave work I check to see if I have my car keys in my pocket. If they are, I work there. If they’re not, I no longer drive because I’m a resident. This works for me, except for the day I left my keys on my desk. I had a few minutes of panic until I located them, but I’m good now.

Oh, and don’t ask to borrow my keys. You’re not getting them. I will play chess with you, though.

Fly Your Flag

It may not seem like a big deal. In the aftermath of the shootings in South Carolina almost everyone wants their flag, which is the Confederate battle flag, gone. When the issue first came up, I thought it was a non-issue. It’s the flag of a losing side in a long-ago war. It’s the flag of people that wanted to keep slaves. Since the war, the flag has served racist organizations and “good old boys”. I could care less about having a Confederate flag.

The entire Confederate flag issue is far removed from us, and has no real affect on our lives. Am I correct in that thought? No, I’m not correct.
Then, as I thought about it, how can we dictate another person’s symbols? To some, the Confederate flag stands for the sanctity of the state over the federal government. For others, it’s a sign of Southern pride that they seem to have plenty of. Others see the Confederate flag as a “Dukes of Hazard” type of redneck independence. You may have one because you like the pretty colors and really dig stars and bars.

I’m seeing the Confederate flag as a freedom of speech issue. I have the right to say what I want. You don’t have to like it. I make a statement by what symbols I choose, and that is my right. With the state being made of individuals, if enough want the flag to be their state flag, then it should be so. If you don’t like my speech, or my symbols you can ignore them or go away. It’s your choice.

So major retailers have jumped on the wagon and will no longer sell that flag. We can choose who we buy from, and what we buy. If we feel strongly enough about the issue, we can stop giving our money to businesses that oppose our views.

With all of that being said, it gets tiresome that groups try to dictate what everyone does. It gets tiresome that the thought police have to impose the current political correctness on us. They really do believe that they know what is best, and we are too stupid to make even the most mundane decisions on our own.

The attack on symbols is an attack on people. We are the people under attack.
Most of us hold the American flag dear. It is also under attack. Our favorite activist Louis Farrakhan has already started attacking the stars and stripes. He says that the flag must be “put down” because people have suffered under it even more than they’ve suffered under the Confederate flag.

Some neighborhoods try to restrict the American flag because someone may be offended. Even our local Walmart carries very few of our flags, and usually hides them in the corner in the bowels of the store.

With most of us being Christian, we have a deep reverence for the cross. It has been under attack for as long as I can remember. The people that regulate the rest of us have a pretty good record of limiting cross displays. It’s well documented that every aspect of Christianity is under attack, and that attack on the symbol is just part of it. Even Bibles are forbidden in some venues.

By attacking a person’s symbols, you attempt to outlaw the person. By outlawing symbols you outlaw a certain way of thinking and acting. By outlawing a way of life you eliminate the people that live that way.

I had a sociology professor that taught that when we brought Chinese over to build our railroads, they brought their way of life and their opium. When we finished with them, they were still here and we didn’t like it. We outlawed opium to outlaw Chinese. The same thought processes apply to many of us today. We are slowly being outlawed.

Here’s how I think it should go. Suppose my daughter brings home a guy in a leather jacket with a big swastika tattoo on his neck. I don’t like him on a great number of levels. I tell him I’m offended by him but I don’t hold him down and try to remove his tattoo. He may think I’m a jerk but he doesn’t expect me to learn to like his tattoo. It’s his right to have the tattoo, and my right not to like it. We hopefully go our separate ways and that’s the end of it.

We have to quit giving up our way of life and its symbols. We have a right to be. They have a right to be. As my least favorite son-in-law once told me, “I’m a grown man. You can’t tell me what to do.” He was right, and I admitted it even after I chased him out of my door.
Clint Eastwood nailed it in the movie “Gran Torino” when he said “Get off my lawn”.

The Challenges of Healthcare, Part III

The Challenges of Healthcare, Part III

By Charlie Melton

We were talking about the problems in health care. I pointed out that I believe nurses have to spend entirely too much time charting. They have less time to care for patients because of it. We all get less care and nurses can’t give all of the care they wish to give.

We were discussing why so much documentation is required of nurses. Some even have to chart that they washed their hands and put on gloves.
Nurses do acknowledge the need to document patient care that contributes to patient management and treatment. This communication between caregivers is essential. We’re not talking about the necessary charting. We’re talking about excessive charting.

We went through the belief that the threat of lawsuits is the driving factor for excessive charting. I said that malpractice suits are brought by people that feel they’ve been wronged or are looking for money, or both.

Why are people suing due to being wronged or looking for a payday?

The answer is that the state allows, and even encourages it. The state is complicit in excessive paperwork by nurses. In Illinois, the limits on malpractice suits are mostly non-existent. The caps enacted were ruled unconstitutional so there is really no limit on how much you can be awarded. This in itself is very enticing and very dangerous for nurses. It should be noted that states that have limits on malpractice awards have fewer lawsuits. I do not know if this equates to less charting by nurses.

Illinois also lets you sue in counties other than where the incidents occurred. Many cases end up in St. Clair, Madison, and Cook Counties because the counties give out more money.

Against my best efforts I ended up on a malpractice jury in St. Clair County when I lived in that county. The medical practice and the home of the injured party were in Monroe County. The attorney followed the money, and expected an enormous amount of it. After the longest 2 weeks of my life, we gave the person and his attorney absolutely nothing. That case, which should have been in the home county, was the exception. Most juries gave huge awards in that courthouse.

Lawyers are part of the cause of nurses being under fire. Greedy clients are part of the problem. The state itself is at fault as well. With all things being equal, I think the state limiting money available in malpractice suits will reduce a lot of the fear of lawsuits that causes excessive documentation by nurses.

I spoke to an attorney about my concerns. He doesn’t see a problem with nurses documenting so much information. His opinion is that as a professional you document. He relayed that he spends a lot of time documenting his actions. I thought it was funny that part of the reason is to protect himself from being sued by a client.

In my unqualified mind I think the medical establishment is to blame as well. Medical organizations are notoriously top-down. They give instructions and mandate actions often without input from any staff members affected by the mandates. Leaders make sweeping policies and have no patience with any dissenting opinions.

The issue of nurses’ reduced opportunities to care for patients is “standard practice” and taken for granted. It doesn’t have to be. Other industries have developed and embraced all sorts of process improvement techniques. Systems like “Lean”, “Six- Sigma”, and other methods have saved entire industries from oblivion. Some medical corporations have embraced process improvement, but not to the extent they’re needed. Leaders have to give up power to embrace the changes needed to free up nurses to do what they’re supposed to be doing. Leaders must learn that decisions need to be made at the lowest level possible.

We’ve talked a long time about excessive charting being required of nurses. We should be concerned because we want better care and more expedient care. Nurses are concerned because they want to care for people and heal. They know, and we know, that paperwork never healed anyone.
This is an opportunity for us to improve our lives. This is an issue to bring to legislators. This is an issue to bring to your medical providers.

I want to urge the state to enact limits on lawsuits. I want cases to be tried in the appropriate county. I want to get the care I need. I want to go home without waiting on a ton of paperwork. I hope you want the same thing and help achieve it.

The Challenges of Healthcare, Part 2

We were talking about the problems in health care. I pointed out that I believe nurses have to spend entirely too much time charting. They have less time to care for patients because of it. We all get less care and nurses can’t give all of the care they wish to.

The National Institutes of Health commissioned a time and motion study of 767 nurses at 36 hospitals. The study found that nurses spent the vast majority of their time (35.3%) in documentation, med pass (17.2%), and care coordination (20.6%) for a total of 73.1%. Only 19.3% of their time is spent on patient care and 7.2% of their time on patient assessment.

I brought this concern to nurses, and they believe they have to chart excessively because of the danger of lawsuits.

Is there a real threat of lawsuits against nurses?

Historically we think of malpractice lawsuits as being against doctors or institutions. That is no longer the case. Nurses are frequently named in malpractice suits. Multi-million dollar awards from malpractice suits aren’t unheard of. One source claims that Illinois malpractice case fees collected by attorneys exceed $200 million a year. This amount is only a portion of the total money awarded. Nurses are often part of those lawsuits.

The threat of lawsuits is a real danger to nurses. The professional nursing associations encourage nurses to carry malpractice insurance. The fear of lawsuits may influence how they have to perform their jobs. Because institutions fear lawsuits, they may demand an ever increasing amount of documentation to protect from lawsuits.

What is the root cause of excessive charting? As I’ve stated, I lean towards lawyers causing this disruption. I approached one of my former professors from SIU. He’s the most analytical and methodical person I know. He never makes assumptions and always follows the data to its conclusion. He’s not convinced that this is the root cause of excessive documentation by nurses. When I announced to him that I’d identified the cause, he asked how I determined that the threat of lawsuits causes excessive documentation by nurses. He teaches to repeatedly ask why until you run out of “whys”. At that point you’ll be closer to the answer.

In this case, why is there a threat of lawsuits? There is a threat of lawsuits because people want to sue. Why do people want to sue? Because either they have been wronged or are looking for a payday, or both.

It should be noted that lawyers only do what the client allows them to do.

I know that some people sue to make money. There was just a story on the news about a policeman that was getting free coffee at a business and was burned by that free coffee. He sued. We all know similar stories. Some people sue because they can. It’s further verified by the fact that when the Illinois economy goes down, malpractice suits go up. It appears that you can supplement a lowered income with the proceeds of a lawsuit.

I’ve pointed out what I see as a problem. I’ve tried to start a discussion that someday may contribute to a solution.
How bad is it anyway? Is excessive time charting enough of an issue to even care about? Are there novel solutions to the problem?
Next week in my final installment I want to look at the results of all this paperwork. Has it really protected nurses? What is the impact on the patient? What can we do, and what can nurses do?

Illinois Healthcare- Nursing part 1

The Challenges of Healthcare, Part 1

By Charlie Melton

Everybody talks about how healthcare is a mess. Too many of us have no insurance or insufficient insurance. Too many of us have to choose between food or rent or medicine.

I don’t understand all of the aspects of healthcare. I understand very little. What I do understand is that health resources often go to the wrong place for the wrong reason.
If you’ve ever been to an emergency room you know the drill. You appear, wait, get assessed, wait for the doctor, and wait some more. The nurse tells you that you can go home and then you wait more. You end up concerned, then irritated, then border on furious.

You look out of the exam room you’re interred in and see nurses sitting at their station. They’re either peering into a computer monitor or writing on paper at length. If you stroll around and spy on the nurses they’re not writing a love letter or playing Angry Birds. The nurses are charting. They’re writing down every interaction with the patient, every observation, and every action taken or not taken.

While charting is an essential part of healthcare, to the uninitiated it seems to be excessive. With that concern I asked several professionals about charting.

I’m friends with several nurses on Facebook. I messaged them individually and asked each the same question. “My perception is that nurses spend most of their time on paperwork. What do you see as the biggest factor that makes this necessary?” About 10 nurses responded with almost identical observations.

Heather Tille is a self described “Ninja Nurse”. She works in a large hospital as an ICU nurse and she is a nursing instructor at a local college. She’s currently working on her master’s degree. She says that the amount of time charting varies according to the type of unit the nurse works in, but it ultimately takes away from direct patient care. Mrs. Tille says that nurses and their employers fear being sued and that influences the charting they do. She decries the fact that attorneys go for every conceivable person involved in patient care when suing for malpractice. She says this system makes fear and the quest for money the dominate factors in how a medical provider does business. Patient care suffers.

My good friend Brandie Walters is a RN. Brandie says, “If you’re involved in a lawsuit, if you didn’t write it down it didn’t happen. I even have to chart that I washed my hands and wore gloves. It’s a waste of time. I also have to chart the same information every time I see a particular patient. How about I spend that time taking care of someone? It’s the biggest thing I hate in my career. Charting is about money any way you put it.”

What I gleaned from nurses is that nurses, doctors, and companies fear lawsuits. Their perception is that they could do a better job for patients if the fear of attorneys wasn’t so pervasive.

Is that a rational fear? Do nurses really get named in malpractice suits? Does charting have a purpose other than to protect the individual care giver?

Am I naïve when I say that nurses are dedicated and caring professionals and the very idea of suing one is reprehensible?

Over the next couple of weeks I hope to explore what nurses do. Is the paperwork your nurse has to do excessive? Does it reduce the amount of care you receive? I’m not skilled enough to rewrite standard practices, but maybe we can start a discussion that will ultimately benefit us all. Please tell me what you think by emailing me at chasmelton@gmail.com or write me at P.O. Box 378, Norris City, Il 62869.

Road Rage

Sometimes things aren’t what they seem to be. Our experiences taint our perceptions. Our view of ourselves and others affects how we see things. I think this gives order to our world. It can also make us very wrong when we deal with circumstances.

Last week I was late to work because I had a certain view of the world. If I held a different view I would have been early enough for a cup of coffee and a few words with the girls before I clocked in. I had a good excuse for being late, but ultimately it was my view of the world that betrayed me and made me late.

I’m tooling to Enfield at my regular “look at the scenery” clip. I just achieve the speed limit North of Norris City when a car passes me and the driver starts tapping the brakes. I figure I must have taken his turn at the 4 way like a lot of us have the habit of doing. I salute in apology and slow way down to show I’m sorry.

He hits the brakes and slows down. I must have cut him off without realizing it because he really seems upset. I slow down even more to increase the distance between us and placate him. He speeds up and the situation seems over.
In a short time the other driver starts his antics again. Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I start mouthing oaths in his general direction. I find I still have all of the vocabulary I honed in my years in the military. Even though he can’t hear me, he senses my attitude. The situation just escalated.

My nemesis slows way down. I press the issue and get dangerously close to his bumper. He slows even more. I get a testosterone surge, and get ready for battle. He continues to slow.

The car’s turn signals come on and the driver points out of the window to a turn off. He turns in and so do I. He opens his door and I open mine. It’s time for battle.

“Something flew out of your truck back by Norris City”, he yells. “I thought you might need it.” I take a moment to process his words. “Thanks”, I respond. I continue to process the change in the circumstances. He gets back in the car and proceeds towards Enfield. I sit for a second and head back to Norris City to pick up my missing cargo. What just happened? How did I get this so wrong? Even if it was road rage, why would I get involved at my age?

I think my interpretation of the situation came from my experiences in life. I’ve lived in cities where a certain behavior facilitates survival. Some of my neighborhoods weren’t the best, and projecting a willingness to fight ensures continued breathing. Even my career rewarded aggressiveness and punished the timid. Experience may be the best teacher, but it’s still possible to get the lesson wrong like I did.
The point I’m trying to make is don’t make assumptions, and don’t jump to conclusion. A wise person I know says to think before speaking. I’d extend that to think before reacting. Something may have fallen off of your truck.

How to Backpack

How to Backpack

Don’t get too fancy. Publications that make their money selling ads for gear make you think you need a lot of fancy stuff. The gear is cool, but for the most part unnecessary.  Remember the basics. You need shelter, water, and food. You need it in that order. Lastly you need some tools and something to carry it all in.

The backpack: The backpack the kids use for school won’t cut it. You need a waist belt, shoulder straps, and a chest strap. Good packs normally have an internal or external frame. Most of the weight in the pack will ride on your hips. The chest strap transfers weight from your shoulders to your chest. If your pack doesn’t have a chest strap, you can improvise one with a bandana or something similar. Avoid a cord, over time it’ll cut you. Plenty of pockets are handy but not necessary. When you load your pack, it’ll probably work better if you keep the heavier stuff on the bottom. A lower center of gravity is more stable. Do put emergency and commonly used items where they can be easily accessed. Don’t hang a lot of crap on the outside of your pack; it’ll drive you crazy when it’s swinging around.

Shelter: Weight counts and less is more. Dome tents can be very light. Pup tents are usually a little heavier. I prefer to take just the rain fly from my dome tent along with some cord. I’ve rigged a shelter that kept me dry in a torrential rain. A lightweight waterproof nylon poncho can double as a shelter. Before you start, use waterproofing spray and seam sealer to make sure the shelter is waterproof. An emergency poncho or even a large trash bag can work as a shelter.

A big part of shelter is something to sleep in or on. You won’t want to carry a heavy air mattress, let alone blow it up. The foam sleeping pads don’t weigh much and help a lot with comfort and warmth. I usually tie mine to the top of the pack. A sleeping bag is good, but can be heavy. I’ve used a Mylar space blanket as a ground cloth and a fleece blanket to cover up with. Just remember that most of the cold comes from the ground you’re laying on, so insulate under you. If you have plenty of dry leaves you can put them under you for insulation. You can also fill a trash bag with dry leaves and make a mattress. Just remember that you won’t be able to call the front desk for another blanket, so plan for the absolute worse weather possible.

Water: this is heavy. Carrying enough for 2 or 3 days can be backbreaking. Carry some inside your body by drinking two quarts before you start. If you are where the map shows streams and ponds, carry 2 or 3 quarts in your pack. The Nalgene water bottles are best because you can put hot water in them and use them for extra heat in your bed at night. Do not drink unfiltered or untreated water unless it is an emergency. Take a purification pump or purification tablets, or both. When you finish drinking the first quart of water, find a way to replace it. Remember that if you don’t have to pee, you’re dehydrated.

Food: You want the lightest food with the most calories. Mac and cheese, ramen noodles, instant rice, and the like are light. Lighten them more by removing from the box and putting the contents in a zip lock bag. Cut out and include the directions. Tuna, chicken, and other proteins are available in pouches. Jerky is OK, but makes you thirsty. Peanut butter is available in pouches or small cups. Trail mix is good. Granola bars, breakfast bars, and the like pack a good calorie punch. I have taken a frozen steak in a zip lock. It was thawed by dinner, and tasted good after a hard hike. Always remember to keep all food away from where you sleep. You don’t want late night visits from raccoons or something bigger. Hanging your food bag in a tree is a good idea.

Tools: I carry a multi tool and a good pocket knife. You normally won’t need an axe. I sometimes carry a fixed blade knife as well. I rarely need it, but I like to have it just in case.

String is a tool. Strong twine is OK but para cord is better. It’s very strong and light. Rope isn’t needed unless you’re going to rappel. Take twice as much string as you think you’ll need.  Also carry a couple of feet of string in your pocket.

Take at least 3 ways to start a fire. I carry my trusty Zippo, which I fuel up before I start the hike. A couple of disposable lighters are good. Add some stick matches in a waterproof case. A candle is good for starting tinder. You can also put petroleum jelly on cotton balls for a fire starter. Believe it or not, potato chips are good fire starters.

A couple of small flashlights are good to dig through your gear at night. You can get an LED light that is the size of a quarter. A LED headlight is very handy. Glow sticks are OK, but are one time use.

You need to take any meds you are prescribed. A few NSAIDs and a few antihistamines could be useful. Band aids, alcohol pads, and antibacterial cream are a must. Most importantly take moleskin. You’ll use it when you first feel a hot spot on your feet. Cut a piece to go around, not on, the hot spot. Blisters are the enemy on the trail.

I don’t carry a lot of clothing. I make sure I have plenty of good socks, and a couple of bandanas. Just remember cotton is “dead man’s clothing”. Cotton is cold when damp and can give you hypothermia. Wool, polyesters, and fleeces should stay warm when wet. The clothing you wear should be treated with permathrin to keep bugs away.

Get a trail map and a compass. GPS is for sissies. Study the map before you leave. Learn how to use it with the compass. If you learn where you are in relation to major highways you can always go cross country if you lose the trail.

Toilet paper is a very valuable tool for obvious reasons. Bury or burn used TP. It’s nasty to pack it out. A small plastic trowel is light weight and useful digging a cat hole to use as a bathroom The TP stays there and you cover it up. Like in the movie “Up”, dig the hole before you go to the bathroom.

Aluminum foil is the most versatile thing you can take. It’s a cup, it’s a skillet, and it’s a hat. Use it for a roof over your fire in even the hardest rain. Wrap your cold toes in it to warm them. Put a few sheets of the heavy duty foil in your map pocket of your pack. You’ll be glad you did.

Here’s how I make camp. I look for a high spot as close as possible to water. If it’s hot I try to catch the wind. If it’s cold out I try to be sheltered from the wind by topography or a stand of trees. Never camp directly under a tree.

After I find a spot I rake sticks, leaves, and other debris away from where I’ll sleep. I use my small bottle of DEET and spray the area so I’ll be bug free all night. I rig my canopy, lay my sleeping mat, and lay out my bag or bedroll. I make my fire away from my shelter and on the downwind side. I set about getting water and making dinner. I find a place to hang my food bag to keep it from the critters. By dark I’m all done with chores and am ready to enjoy the fire. When I turn in I undress and roll my clothes up for a pillow. I never wear my clothes when I sleep. They can be damp from perspiration in the morning and can give a chill.

Safety on the trail

If it’s hunting season wear an orange vest or hat. The reason is obvious.

You’ve seen the guy with the outdoor adventure shows that does all of that daredevil stuff in the wilderness. Don’t do that. If you try climbing sheer cliffs and hopping over wet boulders the coroner will get to examine your mangled remains. If the path is treacherous go another way. Go around a steep place instead of over it.

If you have to cross a stream undo your waist belt and chest strap so you can drop the pack if you slip. Pick a crossing where the water is moving slowly. Use your walking stick on the downstream side to make you more stable. Go slowly. When you get out on the other side, empty the water out of your boots and change to dry socks to prevent getting blisters.

While we’re on the subject of walking sticks, you don’t need to get fancy. You can find one on the trail that works fine. I started taking to cheap light wooden canes. I carry them backwards and sort of sling them forward as I walk. They slide well in my hands and have never given me a blister. I also look real cool as I hike with them.

Be wary when going downhill. You’ll want to hike faster, but you are more likely to get injured if you speed up. Steep descents are easier if you go down at an angle. That’s why most trails have switchbacks on hills. If you meet another hiker the one going downhill has the right of way.

Its night and you’ve finally laid your sore and exhausted body down. Every sound is magnified. A field mouse in the dry leaves sounds like a grizzly bear. If the ground isn’t shaking, it probably isn’t big enough to eat you. Probably not. 

As you look out the night is pitch black because you’ve got the light of your fire and your flashlight killing your night vision. If you must have light, put it several feet away. You’ll want to light the campsite, not yourself. Only use the light nearby for close work, like finding your pills in the pack. Besides, bugs and zombies will be drawn to the light, so keep it away from you.

Oh yeah, and have fun.