Take A Step Back

[Tim Brownson]

Hi all you lovely people. I just wanted to share this Blog with you that I posted today. Feel free to Stumble it if you think it is worthy. Bury the little sucker if you think not. Cheers

I spent quite a lot of time during the last 10 days with my mom in hospital. She’s been poorly for some time but deteriorated significantly about 2 weeks ago leading to me flying back to the UK. I don’t want to dwell on the negative side of that too much because I don’t suppose you’ve dropped by thinking “I’m feeling really great today, let’s see if Tim’s Blog can bring me crashing down to earth with his personal tales of misery and woe” I just wanted to pass on something that I was thinking about whilst in hospital.

On about the third or fourth day as I got to the entrance of the ward I noticed she wasn’t in her bed. A nurse motioned towards the bathroom and so I stopped by the doorway to wait for her to come out. As I stood there I started to take in the whole expanse of my vision. There were 5 other ladies in that bay and I’m fairly sure that none of them were there because of their love for hot tea, warm bed baths and cold thermometers shoved in their nether regions. Although the lady in bed 4 did have a very peculiar smile on her face for a lot of the time, so I guess I could be wrong.

So there were 5 other people, with 5 sets of concerned family and friends all probably wishing things were different to how they were. At this point my mom reappeared looking incredibly frail and very tired. With the help of the nurse we got her into her bad and she drifted off to sleep almost immediately. See, it’s not just my Blog readers that I send to sleep; I can do it to family members too.

As I gazed out of the window at the golf course I started to think again about the other people on the ward and their families. It shifted my emphasis somewhat and I didn’t feel quite so isolated. Then I took this a stage further and in my mind stepped back even further to see all the people on the ward. I’m guessing that as there were 5 bays there were about 25 patients with 25 sets of family and friends. All concerned and all hoping for the best possible outcome. Then I went even further and thought about the entire hospital. I imagined being above looking down seeing all the activity, all the anxiety and all the apprehension. As well as all the relief and happiness that recovery and childbirth brings. There were literally thousands of people being impacted by what was going on in that one hospital alone.

I knew I could take this as far as I wanted, so that’s what I did. I floated up to see not just the hospital but Chesterfield itself and then the county of Derbyshire and then the entire UK. How significant were one person’s problems now? Everybody has problems, right? I stepped back even further and eventually I got to the point of seeing the entire planet. Earth looks so serene, so magnificent and so stunningly beautiful from space, don’t you think? You can’t see death or disease or violence or war or hatred or bigotry or greed or aggression from Space. All you can see is magnificent splendor and a oneness that defies individuality.

We are born into a life that is going to involve pain and death. I know that’s probably not going to be the most uplifting sentence you’ll read today and it’s not going to get me many gigs as a motivational speaker, but that’s just how it is. You can feel isolated and victimized and during such circumstances if you really want to. Or alternatively, you can take a step back and see that it’s just one more example of what makes you human, what connects you to every other sentient being on the planet and understand no matter how lonely you may feel, the reality is you’re never alone.

“For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us.”
- Donald Williams, US Astronaut

[Joely]

This is actually very beautiful - I didn't fall asleep, and I wasn't plunged in to misery. It's a fantastic point, and very true. It's an inspirational way to look at human suffering.

I hope you and your mother are doing well.

J x

[Tim Brownson]

Thanks a lot Joely I appreciate your response.

Btw, what a cool Blog you've got going!

I only flew back from Manchester this week and have spent many hours there both on business and pleasure. I'd love to say I made it to the Hacienda but always put it off until one day it was too late.

I'm rambling now, I ought to got to bed

[Joely]

Thank you for the compliment! The blog's a bit of a mess because it can't really take off until I've at least got my podcasts on the road, but still, it's a nice place to put my thoughts. I'm glad you liked it.

In Manchester the place to be at the moment is the Northern Quarter. At least as far as we're concerned!

[Marco Polo]

Hello Tim Brownson. You're a good writer. Keep up the good work.