Tuesday 10 May 2016

Stresses And Smiles.

It is fair to say that the last two weeks have been somewhat manic. What with the start of exam season (which meant lots of invigilating for Yours Truly), visitors from antipodean lands and preparations for EM-con, there has been very little time to squeeze in writing or blogging let alone any running to clear the mind.

So, you might feel that I've been somewhat stressed and anxious. True, the invigilating takes it out of me. Hour upon hour of mind-numbing seriousness does tend to cause a certain amount of atrophy in the cerebral area. This followed by maniacally running around the house eliminating every last piece of dust and detritus before an old childhood friend comes to visit can raise ones blood pressure as can the comment, “You have a cat. I die if I go near cats.” But a cup of tea in the garden can soon relax one's nerves and belay any fatal asthma attacks.

As for one of the largest comic cons in the East Midlands: yes, this took an insane amount of preparation which in turn led to anxious nausea, dizziness, tears and tantrums. But what an event it was! I had a great time meeting up with readers of my Sam Spallucci books and making new friends and acquaintances.

One such person was a delightful young lady by the name of Frances. She came up to my stall, supported by her crutches, and we got talking. It turned out that we had a major life issue in common: defunct ears! However, whereas mine require, at the most, a day or two in bed or the occasional use of a walking stick, this young woman's auditory issues dominated her life completely, so much in fact that her balance was almost completely non-existent and she had been forced to have one of her inner ears removed and replaced with a cranial induction hearing aid.

However, what is the one thing that I shall remember most about her? Is it her wobbling from side to side as we spoke? Is it her telling me how she had dreaded the surgeon removing part of her skull?

No, it's neither of these. It's her infectious smile. This brave young woman refuses to let her physical disability ruin her life. She takes what she has and and just runs with it.

She is a shining example to us all.



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1 comment:

  1. She is indeed. I used to invigilate too, for a summer school. What nightmares...

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