Sunday 24 March 2013

You Never Know

What can I type with one hand while my left wrist is in a cast. 
this will be short, that’s for sure, with capital letters only when word automatically inserts them and no upper case punctuation like question marks. 
Ha. always happy to have an excuse to break the rules or be lazy.

yesterday I slipped on the stairs I use a dozen times a day and broke a bone. surprizingly good experience in er, and the fracture clinic today. Mostly cheerful staff and shorter waits than expected so no complaints.  

such fascinating places hospitals are.

A woman my age slept on a stretcher in the hall where the rest of us were waiting our turns to be seen. She was snoring up a storm. When she was woken to be told that her tests were fine and that she could leave, she sat up and chatted with me for a while. Realising she’d been asleep for two hours, she grinned at me, “my husband says I’m a terrible snorer.” I smiled back and said, “probably we all are, but we don’t have to listen to ourselves”- a friendly conversation between strangers passed a few more minutes until she walked away, relieved that her sudden dizziness at work hadn’t been caused by anything that showed up in her scary emergency cat scan.

Overheard a doctor telling a very young, maybe teenage, couple on the other side of the flimsy curtain between their space and mine that the 3 mo-old foetus in her womb had a very slow heartbeat and was unlikely to survive.  
Cringed. 
Held my breath. 
Kept silent to give them the illusion of privacy. 
Prayed for these poor young ones, and for the young doctor who spoke calmly but more quickly than seemed right when one is predicting the death of an unborn child. After the doctor left I heard the guy murmuring consolation to his partner. I was glad that he was tender and kind instead of stoically silent. Watched them walk out of the er area and wondered how they could still stand. 

May we be given the strength and compassion we need to walk each other through whatever happens tomorrow.