I have always banged on about passing people on my morning walk who haven’t got the energy to even nod ‘hello’.
That kind of makes me sad – not because I want more friends, but because human decency seems to be on the wane.
In saying that, I got more than my share of hellos the other day.
I was booked in for a small operation.
I know what you are thinking, but not that small bit – it was upper body.
So, I did my online admission, answering every question on gender, race, allergies, steel bits in my body, bubonic plague and every other possible thing that was wrong with me or could go wrong.
I turned up on the day, ready to go, proudly telling the lady I had done everything online … only to be told they had lost all the info online and I had to fill it all out the old-fashioned way, with a pen.
Eventually, I got admitted and started meeting people: nurse after hard-working nurse, all asking the same questions, as I threaded my way through the human conveyor belt. “Hi, I’m (insert name here), your nurse. Full name, date of birth, allergies etc.”
My instant response wanted to be: “Look on the form I just filled out” and “I am allergic to pain”.
But I didn’t.
The stage one highlight was the gown that you have to put on: you can’t help but think that everyone behind you could be getting a bird’s-eye view of unattractive human parts.
I met heaps of people – all polite and efficient to the point that I was thinking: “If I survive this, I am going to start enjoying being ignored on my daily walk.”
So, after several stops, I get to the cannula stage.
“Which hand?” they ask. I say, “Right.”
So, they go left.
After about three goes, there’s no result (still having my ‘big boy’ face on, not letting on that one of my allergies, pain, is being generously dished out).
They decided to get someone else to have a go.
Around the corner comes another hard-working nurse with a clipboard and her head down.
She says, as she lifts her head: “Hi, I’m (insert name here), your nose. Oh my God, your nurse!”
I have to say, apart from the anaesthetic, it was the highlight of the visit, with embarrassment for the poor young lady and unbridled laughter from all of us.
Nurses, in my view, never ever get paid enough for what they have to put up with and the job they do.
So, thank you.
Ashley Robinson is chairman of the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Sunshine Coast Thunder Netball, and a lifetime Sunshine Coast resident.
