I now realise that I shouldn’t let the shenanigans, of those who purport to govern us and some of the rich and powerful, get to me as much as I have done during the latter part of 2016. They, almost by definition, behave in ways that the rest of don’t. Indeed, as all my friends know, I still believe that the vast majority of humanity are decent, honest people just trying to get by in life. Not only is this a belief but it is confirmed by my day to day experience.
Well, I’d nearly forgotten that recently so much so that I had a bout of the blues; made worse by having to do all those things that I’d put off over the holiday period. Well, over the last few days, I’ve done most of those and just needed to do one more. You see, I’ve had a few twinges in my chest since the beginning of the week and, being hyper cautious in regard to health, went to our local GP.
Now, even in these difficult times, if you get there very early, you can often get an appointment which I did for 20 minutes later. The lovely doctor asked me a lot of questions, gave me a thorough check (blood pressure, etc), suggested that I had a blood test (which I did) and said that it was more likely to be a pulled muscle. However, just to be on the safe side, she gave me a form to take to the walk in clinic at UCH to have an ECG. So, off I trotted, book in hand in case it took a long time.
A mere 10 minutes after arriving, a wonderfully humorous nurse called my name and in I went. She told me to strip to the waist, put my things on the chair and lay on the bed. I put my book, newspaper and glasses on the waste bin and started to do as I’d been asked. At which point, she gestured towards the chair indicating that that was where they should be.
“Men never listen, you know”, she said with a smile. “I’ve noticed, however, that when they’re with their wives, they listen to them. Usually with a prod.When I tell them to strip to the waist, their wives prod them and repeat the instruction. Which is then complied with. Similarly with my other requests. Always a prod and a repeat of what I’ve said, followed by compliance. It’s as if they’re only programmed to respond to that particular voice”.
By which time, I was in fits of laughter in my very own Victoria Wood sketch. She then said that, although the cardiographer would need to look at the results, they all looked perfectly normal to her.
So here I am back home, less than three hours since I walked into my local GP, having been speedily and courteously dealt with and my fears assuaged. All with a very human touch and great humour. So my faith in humanity remains along with a message to this government. Provide the NHS with the money it needs; it is priceless!