The good, the bad and the downright ugly again…

The good from yesterday was that having a blue badge meant shopping in Canmbridge was made so much easier and I was able to pick up a few bits and pieces for Pollyanna’s birthday. It is however a shame that I got a blue badge because of my inability to walk very far which struck true once again yesterday.

Another bit if good was seeing Amanda, one of my nurse colleagues and a kind friend. It was good to catch up and I really appreciated her gifts of cream cakes and a lovely fresh loaf of bread, plus the best wishes she brought with her from other work colleagues.

The bad is the news that as from June 7th I will be put on half pay. I need your help a bit here please. If I went off sick on the 7th of January, when would you therefore calculate my six months was up? I think I have worked the date out differently than HR so I would be interested to see your calculations. Anyway the bad thing is that we will have to try to manage on half the salary or I will somehow need to try to get back into work, although my Stem Cell harvest only finishes on June 4th. If they have got the date wrong I will be in a much better position and hopefully recovered enough to make a phased return.

The ugly was the standard letter I received informing me of all of above. This luckily turned into something good or at least not quite so ugly with an email, following my concerns from our chief exec who has given me the opportunity to try and help make sure this doesn’t happen again. On the whole I work for a very caring organisation but just occasionally areas for improvement pop up. The letter has caused me unnessesary upset which I could do without right now but it has at least definitely highlighted an opportunity to make changes and ensure this doesn’t happen again and is quickly being addressed.

Maybe I am rather Pollyannerish but where I can I do like to change a negative into a positive and with a little practice it’s not usually that hard to do.

Today I am having a telephone consultation with ’employee assistance’ which I think are a private company who I presume try and support employees find a solution to a particular difficulty that may have arison through work. It will be interesting to find out anyway.

This is followed up by an assessment of need at the Hospice and then a consultation with the doctor there. This will all be enough to finish me off for the day.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank a rather special lady (she will know who she is). She regularly emails me always stating she doesn’t expect a reply, but sends me words to cheer me up and make me laugh or to remind me that she is thinking and praying for me. It may only seem a little thing to do but it is making a big difference. I don’t know this lady particularly well having only met up and worked together a few times promoting the MacQueen Awards that are presented yearly to nurses, health visitors or nursery nurses who can demonstrate excellence in practice or research. I was luckily enough some time ago to be one of those nurses and I won enough money to get a number of the children’s book ‘Sticking Plasters for Children’s Souls’ printed and given out or sold to make more money for resources. So again a big THANK YOU to this very special person.

That has reminded me to keep the funds flowing in I do think I need to write another book. I am thinking of writing one called ‘When to worry or Not’ providing a short easy to read guide to what is normal at different stages of a child’s life and when it maybe important to seek professional help in relation to children’s mental health and emotional well being. What do you think of that idea for a book?

From my bedroom window the sun appears to be shining although yesterday I was shocked with how cold the weather had become again. It does seem ridiculous that some parts of the country are getting snow in May.

Well despite the coldness I hope today provides enough heat, from the kindness you experience, to keep you warm all day long. The kindness is there if you just take a moment to see it.

Take that moment today

Deborah x