This blog is sometimes accused of being too gloomy so here are a couple of personal stories which happened recently to put cheer in your soul as the Christmas season heads towards us.
At the weekend, on my way to the gym, I stupidly lost my wallet in the same manner as I did a few months ago. I didn’t shove it down firmly enough in the pocket of my casual trousers and it fell out. I was bereft, particularly as I am travelling to Spain for a conference this week. I checked with nearby supermarkets and the police station to see if it had been handed in but to no avail. Stomping home 20 mins away, a man was nervously hovering outside my house. A bit odd but I had an intuition he might have some good news for me and indeed he did! He had found my wallet and my address from the driving licence. Despite running a small coffee shop, he made the effort to hand it back as soon as possible and wanted no compensation in return. How kind is that? I said would he mind if I gave him a hug (he didn’t) and now I am looking for his coffee shop, so far in vain, to hand him some chocolates as a modest thank you. I will keep looking.
Second, (it has been a tough few weeks…!) I found myself in a New York hospital on a business trip. Entirely my fault. I suffer from bad jetlag and had not slept properly for days, let alone the disruption to my appetite. I respond by being out for dinner most nights and exercising probably excessively. I forget my age… Anyway, I was sent to the nearest hospital for a check-up. Umm…it was Bellevue, one of the oldest hospitals in the country and the only ‘free’ one in Manhattan. It appears regularly in TV dramas apparently, and I can see why…
Bellevue Hospital, New York. It looks better from the outside…
Gunshot victims, prison detainees, listening to the wails of patients with serious mental health issues, tails of heartbreaking poverty and lack of any affordable healthcare support was an almost overwhelming experience and hardly the backdrop for recovery! But it was hugely positive to watch the staff respond with compassion and patience regardless of the mostly grim circumstances. It is 24/7 for them. I also met Destiny, the daughter of a patient who was seriously ill, and she kept me sane with fantastic humour despite her financial worries of how to pay for her mother’s healthcare. A truly beautiful person inside and out. We are still in touch. My only complaint was that I was over-treated I think possibly because I could pay… I was sent home with the results of endless tests all absolutely fine, a hypochondriac’s dream. However, my abiding feeling from all this was, whatever its faults, thank goodness for the NHS. We should never take it and people who work in it for granted.
Back to politics for the next couple of weeks and then I will try and summon some festive cheer…
Inside Right Politics 
Always good to read about random acts of kindness. There are a lot and we must celebrate them!
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