Health, belonging and usefulness

I celebrated the Eucharist at St John's this morning. After cooking lunch I went into town in search of a pair of trainers for my daily walk, from Sketchers recommended by Podiatrist Michelle Bird. They're very lightweight, and proved comfortable to wear when I put them on for a short walk around the park later in the day. Hopefully the thick sole will be kinder on my feet for longer walks.

Clare has now corrected and approved our annual Christmas newsletter, so it's ready for circulation. That's my next task to prepare. Half will go by email, the other half by post. It's a bit of an effort, so I have to be in the mood to get started and get the job done in one go.

I watched another episode of 'New Amsterdam' in the evening in which the hyper-actively zealous hospital director has to undergo chemotherapy and struggles to slow down and be tied down like a normal patient. I understand that. Keeping going as normally as possible is what I've tried to do this past year too. A remedy against feeling despair at being useless. 

In another story-line, the hospital is frequently visited by a homeless man presenting a series of ailments and injuries, some serious, others trivial or imaginary. He visits so often, he costs the charitable foundation over a million in medical bills and this is an ethical headache. They won't refuse him treatment, but that amount of money could benefit scores of patients. The Director realises that the man is most in need of a secure place to live, and rents an apartment for him to call his own, theorising that prevention is the best cure. But this isn't enough. 

He's soon back again with another trivial complaint. It's clear that he knows the entire hospital like the back of his hand. It's the one place in his life as a lonely single person where he feels cared for. He just needs to shift from being on the receiving end of community care to belong within it. He's found a role keeping company with people as a volunteer while they are undergoing chemotherapy, and helping people with directions to find places they need to visit and his life is changed.