Well, Gentle Reader, one would think that after one hundred blogposts on gratitude that it might be time to move on to something else, but you know something? We ain't finished yet. This is the thing with gratitude. It is a divine, and by extension, an eternal value, gratitude is one of the pillars of the universe, and therefore we can never run out of things to centre around this wonderful theme. It is the gift that goes on giving. Gratitude is a living principal.
Today, I am grateful for easily accessible universal healthcare, primarily because I will be seeing my doctor this evening at seven, at the community health clinic just two blocks from where I live. I feel particularly grateful that I can see my doctor outside of work hours, since my employers do not pay me for time off for medical appointments. I have already had this argument with the secretary of my endocrinologist. I said I could only keep our appointment if the good doctor was prepared to not keep me waiting longer than five minutes, otherwise I would have to cancel with my client and lose two hours pay, which is nothing to sneeze at when you are living from paycheque to paycheque.
Those people are incredible in their arrogance and their stubborn refusal to respect that many of their patients have to work for a living, often for low wages, and that we can ill afford to take time off from work to see them. They express absolute zero flexibility about seeing us outside of working hours. Besides all that, I have felt marvelously well these last two years since my hospitalization and for this reason I have decided to ask my family doctor/health clinic to be my go-to guy concerning my endocrinal needs, knowing that the medication is already doing all it needs to do.
I would be fibbing if I were to say that I don't have mixed emotions about our medical system. For some reason, when you reach a certain age (say, fifty-five or older), no matter how good and robust your state of health, you are presumed to be sick. Simply by being of a certain age. We get diagnosed, and over diagnosed and sometimes misdiagnosed because our good doctors have to have some concrete excuse for all their efforts they expend on us. Yes, statistically speaking, we are much likelier than our younger cohorts to be sick, disabled and chronically ill. We are also more likely to die soon.
That said, I really wish that our health care providers would start to focus more on wellness, maintaining wellness and preventing the ravages of old age. So much energy, time and money gets flushed down the pharmaceutical toilet and I really think we all deserve better.
And no, assisted suicide is not the option I have in mind. That is not how we are going to save money on health care. You first read it here, Gentle Reader.
In the meantime I am grateful for every single moment that I enjoy of good robust health, of feeling energetic, healthy and full of wellbeing. Life is truly a gift and our health is indeed a gift that cannot be taken for granted. I think that if we were to get younger people, especially young twenty-something males, to take better care of themselves and to understand that they are not immortal, that one day they too are going to die, then many people would not be developing by osmosis of neglect the many problems, symptoms and conditions that later in life manifest as a Grim Reaper's Scythe in the form of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure.
Etc.
I am truly grateful, Gentle Reader.
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