Better Days

‘We might still know sorrow but we got better days’ Better Days – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

I came home one day the last week and I actually said ‘I’ve had a really good day’. While it might sound strange to some people, I do usually really enjoy my job. The stresses and workload of COVID-19 had impacted that somewhat but in some ways the recent days have become what I have described as ‘manageable’. We still have the help from Pathology of around 16 people on different days however, and part of this is that they have picked up the work brilliantly and now can do a lot of tasks that really help us.

Still just incredibly happy to eat cake- this was an amazing banana and Nutella donated by my friend Louise

I’m very aware that these better days could be short lived and the thought that there could be a second peak niggles at me quite regularly. What I’m trying to do with this is enjoy the days I can until if or when that happens. Desperately trying to be a pandemic optimist! Again, one of the huge challenges in this time is the unknown timeline and trying to not get caught up in how long this could all go on for.

The donations of food we have received are still greatly appreciated, and I cannot thank the local restaurants and businesses who are donating some really lovely gifts for us. One cake in particular this week was immensely good, on that note I fear I am becoming as well known for liking cake and I am cats. Not that I’m too worried, there’s nothing wrong with liking cake. My good friend Louise donated three cakes to the mortuary team which were awesome and I am so grateful for. Oh and I nearly forgot, I won a massage from a local business in a raffle run by one of our lovely hospital employees which I am chuffed to bits about! Something else to look forward to when all this is over. Plus I cannot forget to mention that the wonderful Linzi shoes have been giving away free clogs to NHS workers and got my hands on a pink pair, I promise to not forget the businesses that helped us at this time.

Thank you very much to Linzi for their kind donation, I actually really needed a new pair!

Things that put a smile on my face this week other than cake. I’d really like to shout out to my fellow trainee colleagues who have been amazing the last few weeks. Both of them are the first to notice when I’m not okay, to do little things (or huge things) to cheer me up. It pretty much started with the epic Hogwartsising (yep I made that word) of the mortuary a few weeks ago. Since then I’ve been given a lunchtime mini makeover and had myself alongside the rest of the team made into a peg dolls.

Makeover face vs peg doll Gemma- I can see the likeness can you?

I’ve said it before, but we really are seeing the absolute best in humanity and it starts for me with those around me. This week my awareness of the days of the week has been totally off due to having Friday/Saturday off. Therefore I had no idea about the NHS 8pm clap this week until I heard my neighbour stood at the end of my driveway banging a saucepan with a wooden spoon. The appreciation I have of the things people do brings me to tears.

Looking ahead, on Tuesday this coming week Rachel and I are hosting our first official Zoom Death Cafe which hopes to encounter no technical difficulties and be a great event. We have a lot of new people joining us and I’m excited to stretch my hosting skills to a new format and to some brand new people. If you would like to join then just pop me an email and when the invite details are available I will send them to you.

The next week is hard to predict, as we never know what to expect from one day to the next. I know that I’ll still he thinking that I’m a day ahead of myself due to working Sunday to Thursday, I’ll most likely forget about the Bank Holiday and I hope that the better days continue for a while yet. Wherever you are and whatever you are experiencing in lockdown please stay safe and look out for each other.

MG x