Hi dear Foxy, so good to hear from you.
I am very sorry to read about your long hospitalization, and yes, if you don't have your health then not much else goes well in your life.

A hospital stay after a knee operation, and a long recuperation afterwards, changed my views on life and the art of being a patient! I realized how awful it is not to be fully mobile and to depend on others, and to be in pain.
As a nurse I never fully realized just how important independence and mobility is.

Our health system certainly isn't perfect, but I have travelled overseas extensively and I know just how good Australians have got it. All the same, I called out a few nasty nurses during my hospital stay who were bullying the younger nurses, and told them I would report their behavior if I saw it again...I didn't....but I was under no illusions that it carried on out of my eyesight.

I have missed you and Poirot around here that's for sure, but I know that if I up and left, the good ol boys on this forum would have no one to annoy, so I stay...for them :)

Dear Suse,

I'm so glad that you're still contributing to this
forum. So sorry to hear about your knee problems
and bad experiences with some nurses. My experiences
were positive, but as I said earlier - not having
mobility made me feel old for the first time in my life.
As well as depressed and frustrated. It was the nursing
staff that kept me going and motivated. And I haven't even
touched on the professionalism of those providing physio
and exercises for me.

We are indeed lucky in this country with the services
available to us. I am also glad that I've had private
health cover all of my life. Even though I was taken to
and spent time in public hospitals during these past
12 and a half weeks - and
shared a room with three other people,
because there wasn't a private one available.
It turned out to
be great. We shared stories and experiences - and I always had
an ear - and caring - when needed.
Friendships were formed.
I'm glad to be back. Hopefully things will get better before
too long.

'As long as we have love,
family, and friends - that's what matter'

no truer word spoken Foxy

Hi Foxy,

Sorry to hear you've been through such trauma - but good to know you're making progress.

I missed you around here...and I have to say one of the things that irks me about OLO is that if someone disappears, there's no way to find out if they have some major health problem or whatever. We have to surmise what may have befallen them, if anything. It's difficult to talk to people over a period of time, and then find you have no way of knowing if they are all right or not.

Other forums like twitter or facebook, for example, have private messaging mechanisms for use if one wishes.

I've been absent because occasionally I get a bit weary of arguing with people...sometimes it's not so pleasant and I need to recharge in an atmosphere where I'm not butting heads with other people.

Nice to have you back, Foxy - best wished for the season to you and everyone here : )

Incidents that made us see things more clearly?

Well, given that it's December 25… The first occurred when I was about four and realised that mum and dad were lying about Santa Claus, which opened up a whole new world of realisation that humans can and do talk about things that are not real, as though they are.

But not wanting to hurt my parents feelings, or those of my younger brothers, I kept pretending to believe in Santa for another couple of years.

I choose to remember the event as learning about empathy.

Speaking of which… On an average day approximately 150,000 people on Earth die but it is an extraordinarily high probability that you don't know and couldn't name any of them. Which makes me reflect on two things. One, that even being able to think about this means you're not one of them. Two, for the most part as far as you're concerned it's as if those lives and deaths didn't happen.

So empathy is hugely conditional.

But, Foxy, I extend my unconditional best wishes for the season and your speediest recuperation, though it sounds as though you're not going out clubbing for New Years?

Dearest Foxy,

I'm still chewing over your suggestion ' to hear from contributors to this forum about any particular incident that occurred in their lives that had an impact on them - and made them see things more clearly.'

In a long and relatively mis-spent life - regrets, I've had a few - there have been many crucial points, traumatic incidents, that have forced re-thinks and re-directions, some too painful to talk about - and I'm sure many of us have plenty of those. But it's a good idea, especially at the end of a year, or during a holiday season, to reflect back on those.

G'day Poirot, I'm sure we've missed you too - stick at it, always be true to yourself, and have a very Merry Christmas :)

Love to both,

Joe