Well, quite a lot has happened since the last time I wrote to you!
As you know, I am rather a Winnie the Pooh fan, and possibly a lesser-known fact is that I like a ‘good mug’ for my tea (or coffee). Last night was the first time since Saturday that I managed to sit down with a hot drink in my new favourite mug (a lovely Eeyore one received as a Christmas gift). It’s not just a good size, a good weight and has nice decoration, it also reminds me of the need to be grateful. Displayed on it is the message ‘When it rains… look for rainbows’. Rather an apt quote for recent times, I think. As you know, this week has been a busy one in the Westwood household with an unexpected hospital admission (and subsequent discharge I am pleased to add). However, not only did it afford me the opportunity to further support a colleague, it definitely afforded me the opportunity to think about just how grateful I am for so many things. We have medical insurance which gives us access to safe and clean hospitals and we are living in a (locally at least) Covid-safe environment which means that we can visit a hospital without worrying about what might be caught as a by-product of said visit. We have an amazing support network of friends and colleagues both here and at home and, really importantly, the visit was for something non-terminal. Not so long ago, it wouldn’t have been the same story because hospitals would not have had the technology to diagnose appendicitis or to operate in a clean environment from which patients would actually recover. We really are fortunate.
I can’t hide how I am feeling from my mother, and never have been able to. She always said that, back in the days of pay phones, when I called from Uni that she could ‘tell from hello’ how I was. Over 20 years later, it’s still the same. She is also one of life’s ‘carers’. I tried to call one day last week as I was leaving the hospital but got call waiting. I got through a few minutes later and she said that she had been on the phone to one of her ‘CAMEO’ contacts. For a long time (probably 15 years or so) she volunteered every week at a group for older people – CAMEO or Come And Meet Eachother – held in the church hall but set up by the local council for retired people who may not get out much. After she broke her ankle a couple of years ago, she retired from running it and now she and my dad attend as members (at 76 and 80 respectively they are still the ‘youngsters’), although it hasn’t been held for nearly a year now. Many of the attendees are widowed or vulnerable and rarely get out regardless of Covid restrictions, so my mom has a phone list and she calls everyone every week to check in. Some of the people she calls barely speak to anyone outside their CAMEO circle of friends. They themselves have been shielding since March, however they still manage to keep a smile on their faces and appreciate what they do have rather than focussing on what they don’t. They have their (generally good) health, they have a warm home, they have eachother and they have their children. They have everything they want. I often try to make decisions based on ‘What would my mother do?’ and I don’t feel I have done too badly so far.
I’m going to leave with a final thought:
Not everyone is able to be thankful for so many of these things, so while it’s raining, I am very much looking for (and finding) those rainbows.
I hope you enjoy the unseasonably warm weather and have a lovely weekend.
I’m back on Spotify and I’ve started a new playlist – Chilled 80s and It’s Father to Son by Phil Collins at the moment. I have also discovered a great new podcast: Stories of our Times. Well worth a listen if you are into current affairs.
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