Day Eight

Feest Isolation Days – 22 March 2020

The sky is blue and the cold wind of yesterday has disappeared. Time passes and with it an acceptance settles around us. Eight days in and many many more to come. Today is Sunday and brings with it a distinctly Sunday feel. Maybe a hangover from all those church going days over the years? A calmness and a time to reflect and appreciate and give thanks has arrived. Maybe my renewed mantra, “Be here now” is finally working.

The lady from the gym phoned yesterday in response to my email. The gym is now closed and won’t be charging me or anyone else for that matter our monthly fees. “Are you two alright, is there anything you need?” She asked kindly. “Yes thanks,” I replied, “We have everything we need.”  It’s true.  We do have everything we need.  Besides each other, we have plenty of food to eat in our warm and cosy beautiful home.  The little goldcrest visits us daily in the garden and all of the other birds chirrup away. Friends like you are connecting with us and we are not alone. We are staying connected which enables us to carry on.

When we were working, our dinner table was often shared with lots of medics who produced lively and fascinating conversations. (Except for a poor overworked transplant surgeon who once  actually fell asleep between the main and his pudding!)  I was always interested and often asked, how do you as busy doctors keep a human connection with your patients?  With ever increasing numbers of people in your clinics and ward rounds, how do you maintain that?  The best answer I ever received was from our dear friend David Thomas, whose brain tumour sadly took him away from us far too soon this past January.  David likened seeing patients to reading a good book – and he was a voracious reader!  He said, when you’re with a patient, they have your full attention and you’re totally involved in their story, no one else’s. When they leave you or you head to the next bed it’s like you turn the page and you’re on a new chapter.  Just like reading, you are totally engaged with each person the same way you are with each chapter in a book. Sometimes, the book ends and you think back to the story and it affects you for quite some time, staying with you. You don’t stop reading because it’s affected you – you turn to a different book and begin a new chapter. Sadly, David’s memorial service this week is one of those many things cancelled because of the pandemic.  His story will be long remembered and the many lives he touched remain grateful.

To all of those medics who retain their humanity in the face of the extraordinary odds that are about to face them, we salute you. 

To all of those people who continue to do their jobs, thank you. To the social workers, the food hauliers, the rubbish collectors, the delivery people, the farmers, the food store workers and to all of the rest. Thank you.

A special thanks to all of the parents who are working overtime at the moment, keep up the good work.

And finally, to all the mothers out there, you are loved and appreciated.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

With love

Kathy x

…….and finally……a little humour….

Sometimes being alone is not such a bad idea!