Happy and Blue 2

I hardly get any comments so I can’t use comments as a measure of post popularity.

So I’m just going to wing it here.

None of my posts were popular enough for a list.

The end..

ps: this isn’t a slam on people doing these posts. I normally read the posts they hi-lite if I haven’t already.
And they are usually worth reading. Thanks..

I personally just don’t have anything to point to at this time on my site.
I do like the post title I chose though.

Perhaps later I’ll do a post on my top ten post titles of all time..

I want to leave comments on some blogs I read and they use Comment Luv. Since my last post was flippant I need a brilliant sounding title so people don’t think I’m crazy..
( they may if they come to read this..)

While my reason for focusing on the title seems misleading it is in fact not.
Titles are what draw people to check out your site.

So, in reality, they are the most important element of any post..

Mom went into the Hospital yesterday. To the best of my knowledge she is ok. I’m going to see her in a few minutes.

This post isn’t about her going into the Hospital though. It’s about how the Hospital deals with patients/ family.

At about 11PM last night my Mom took an ambulance into the local Hospital. I was there when they took her. The ambulance guys( local firemen with paramedic training) were excellent. Very professional. Thanks guys who will never read this..

She was taken to Emergency which is the entry point for almost all incoming people.

At approximately midnight I phoned the Hospital to check on her condition.

The phone rang at the Hospital for a few times before someone picked it up.
You can’t actually call Emergency. You call a switchboard who redirects you.

“Hello. How can I help you?”
“Hi. This is Glen xxxx calling. My Mother was taken by ambulance to Emergency shortly after 11pm. I’m wondering if I could be connected to Emergency.
“What’s your Mother’s name?”
“Bxxx.”
“There is no one by that name listed here”
“Sorry. She goes by Bxxx but her name is Axxx Exxxx”
“Just for reference I will be able to transfer you to Emergency but only because you mentioned her name as Axxx first.”
“Ok..thanks again.”

So, now I’m waiting on the phone listening to what sounds like 70’s porno music (some bouncy wah wah guitar music) for about 30 seconds before someone in Emergency answers the phone.

“Hello.”
Uhhh..hello is this Emergency?”
“Yes.”
“I am trying to find out the status of my Mother, Axxx( I’m a fast learner) who was taken to Emergency by ambulance shortly after 11pm.
“Oh, just a minute I’ll get a Nurse.”

Back to the porno music which is now making me laugh out loud..

“Hello this is Kxxx”
“Hi. This is Glen xxxx. I’m trying to find out the status of my Mother, Axxx who was taken to Emergency shortly after 11pm tonight”
“The doctor hasn’t seen her yet.”
“Does she seem to be ok?”
“I can’t answer that until the Doctor has seen her.”
“Will someone phone me when they know something?
“No. You can call back later.”
“Ok…thanks I guess..”

I could probably go into a big tirade about how they treat family requests for information but I don’t see any point. In Healthcare they feel they are protecting personal privacy by doing things this way.

Not sure about the porno music part though. It was funny..

My thoughts are more about how they treat people.

There is a lot of information online about treating each other with respect. And about the importance of being helpful.
And in this instance, in the real world, they weren’t really either.

They were business like in dealing with me. Cold and calculating.
They just didn’t make me want to engage them in anything that would benefit either of us.

Fortunately all the sites I chose to visit do engage their readers. Thanks for that..

Lesson learned I suppose.
By me anyways..

Lately I’ve read several posts on making money online. And being the end of the year most of the posts focused on how much someone had made. How successful the person had been in achieving their monetary goals in the past year.

I’m truly happy for anyone who is making money online. Or in real life, I suppose.
Money isn’t bad. And making it or spending it isn’t bad either.

My problem with money is that it just never seemed that important to me. It’s like a genetic problem I have or something.

I want nice stuff that costs money. Sometimes I get it. Sometimes not.
And I don’t want to live in a box under a bridge. Although that sounds kind of cool. And it would make for interesting blog posts I suppose.

The problem is that I live in a country where being poor still means that you can live in a house and eat three meals a day and wear decent clothes and go to events and do lots of things.

We don’t have kids here hanging around a garbage dump searching for food, or a stick with a nail in it to play with, in Canada.

I mean, they could if they chose to, but it isn’t necessary for their survival.
In fact, unless you are suffering from an addiction, or have a mental disorder, you really would have to put a lot of effort into living the “under a bridge in a box” lifestyle.

I’m not suggesting that we all give to the third world countries.
And I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t focus on making a living.

I guess I’m just thinking out loud, quietly as I type, how lucky I am.

Money is a good thing to have. It can be used to make our lives easier.

But, I’ve yet to see money show up at someones funeral.
Or any other event that means anything in someone’s life.

On more than one occasion I’ve held the hand of someone who has died. (when I worked in a palliative care hospital.)

Not one of those times has their money showed up to say goodbye.

And not one of those people ever asked if I could give them some cash to hold as they passed away.

They just clutched my hand and appeared grateful not to be alone. And I was grateful to be there with them..Sad, but grateful..

In the end money doesn’t matter. To me anyways.
But people do..

We all make New Year’s Resolutions. Even the people who say they don’t do. Make resolutions that is.

Sometimes we make stupid resolutions. Ones like:

“In 2010 I am going to lose that 50lbs I gained in the last 2 decades”

Or,

“This year I am going to quit smoking and start exercising”

Actually the quit smoking resolution that is so popular often leads to the losing weight resolution that is also popular.

And the exercising resolution that is supposed to go with either of these really never does. Really, who wants to exercise when they are suffering trying to quit smoking or losing weight. Humans can only bear so much..

So Smarty McSmart, you’re probably thinking, if we shouldn’t resolve to lose weight, or quit smoking or exercise what the heck should we resolve to resolve.

Well, how about resolving to do one of these this year:

1) Resolve to talk to one human being. Not text a human. Not phone a human. Not grunt at someone or say “Hey, how’s it going” and then walk away.

Pick one stranger, preferably a stranger who doesn’t equal danger, and talk to them. Ask them questions. Answer their questions. Talk about life. Talk about kids. Talk about the best place to buy spinach in the off season. Talk about anything. Except sex and money. Unless you are talking to a prostitute I suppose.

2) Offer to help one person who needs help.
Someone is stuck in a snowdrift. Help push.
An old person walking on ice. Offer them your arm.
Knocked someone off their bike with your car/truck. Help them up.

3) Resolve to be nice to everyone you meet for one hour. Then go someplace where you can actually run across people. Real people. Mannequins don’t count. Mimes are pushing it as well.

4) Forgive one person for just one day. Someone who really made you angry. Or sad.
Like that annoying mime who kept making fake box shapes. Or your parents who forgot to pick you up after school that day resulting in you needing 20 years of intense psychotherapy and antidepressants to overcome your fear of abandonment.

5) Resolve to not take part in gossip about other people for 5 minutes. I think that’s as long as anyone has ever been able to pull that one off.

New years are supposed to be about new beginnings.

Why not make your new beginning about other people instead of yourself.
That way when you fail you will have someone else to blame..