Sharp perspective

This week has been one of the most horrible I remember for a long time, I'm not easily reduced to an all pervading feeling of negativity but since Monday, each day seemed to bring yet more difficulties or upset.

It began with PG further injuring his leg, having just the day before seen the doctor and been told it would take a while to heal completely, he fell on it again and rendered it useless. It has since begun to repair itself yet again but he has been in a deal of pain and been unable to go to work. Work was the next problem, on Wednesday it was looking like he would lose his job, thankfully that disaster seems to have been averted though we are not yet 'counting our chickens'. Thursday passed without incident but yesterday felt like the final straw.

I had barely been in work for half an hour when the next un-wonderful incident occurred by way of it now being my turn to injure myself. Please don't laugh, for in retrospect the scenario seems quite funny! Ok.....well laugh then, after the last few days anything funny is better than misery.

There I was, minding my own business in the process of pushing a heavily laden shopping cart to the opposite end of the store to deposit it's contents, when suddenly, quite literally without warning this trolley caught a wheel, upended itself at speed and catapulted me at high velocity into the air, depositing me finally in an ungainly heap on the floor some distance away and with what had been it's contents of something brick-like ontop of me! Feeling utterly stupid I gathered myself up from under the rubble and hobbled inelegantly to find a first aider.

It could have been a lot worse, I was lucky, my injuries are superficial but I too now have a leg that does not wish to be walked on and an array of bumps, bruises and cuts that hurt like hell. I wonder what the mathematical probability is that PG and I should both be hobbling and both have injured the same leg at the same time? What a pair, the two of us together don't amount to one operational individual right now as we limp slowly around wincing when bits hurt!

I limped on at work for a few hours and then was dispatched home to rest my leg. My arrival home bought the terribly sad news of my friend Karine's death. The positive me gave up at that point and I sat like a fool unable to stop snivelling. We knew of course that we would lose Karine but I had not expected it to be quite so soon and I had not expected it to hit me quite so hard.

This morning the positive me is creeping back, it is not my feelings I should be selfishly considering but those of her husband and son whose loss is so infinitely more acute than mine. She taught me to put my life into sharper perspective and to make the most of it, she retained her humour and pleasure in life throughout and to complain and winge at my current troubles is to do her a dis-service....... I am humbled greatly, my problems are nothing!

And so, it's back to work today for me, hobbling maybe but with my positive head back on and a smile on my face. Yes I am of course very sad, I could happily cry all day but that is most certainly not making the most of my life and nor is it a fitting way to remember or honour a lady who showed such massive courage and strength in the face of real adversity.

"Be happy Karine, you made such a difference to so many."