“Chin up, Doug” said one of my friends when she knew how the week was not going well. Even with my normal cheery outlook, perhaps I need bringing back down to Earth now and again?
By Wednesday this week things were not looking good. At church this morning (on Sunday) a friend of mine thought it was hilarious.
A lens had fallen out of my snazzy new glasses and I damaged the frame by trying to snap it back in. I have been ticked off by the ladies in the optician shop. Expecting the worse, I ordered a new frame but happily they took pity on me by charging me half price. After all, they know me as a regular customer for broken frames, so they get a fair amount of business from me.
My car had a fault, namely a worn out wheel bearing and made a terrible noise. Our friendly mechanic, who usually does a fab job in keeping our cars on the road, couldn’t repair it as it didn’t have the special tool. The village garage were fully booked for the next 2-3 weeks. Next option – the Toyota dealer in MK. They fixed the car, it cost £550. On the bright side, they washed the car inside and out and the invoice was less than the estimate. Cool. My 17 year old car lives for a while longer!
The other issue is a poorly tooth needing root canal treatment. The jolly old NHS dentist said she couldn’t do it, something about not having the expertise and the NHS solution was to extract the tooth. So I decided to go private and the work was started by another practice. This really is a bad reflection of the NHS these days , such poor, limited treatment options. At least I should be grateful to have had an NHS dentist in the first place – something of a rarity in many places.
The work seemed okay until the anaesthetic wore off and I was in pain. A couple of days later it was just as bad so I called the dentist and they prescribed some tablets – which I had to pay for in spite of being over 60!
So all in all a trying week, you might think. Yes, I suppose it has been. And then there is the person trying to pick an argument with me but I shall try and rise above this.
However, the overwhelming feeling is still one of hopefulness and optimism. In the grand scheme of things, these are little irritations, no more, no less. As with many things, they’re never quite as bad as I might think. I should take these things in my stride and, yes I do.