Monday Morning Musings

Posted on August 16, 2021 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

 

Happy Feet

 

Back to school sales are ubiquitous which can only mean one thing. September is lurking in the shadows.

As usual, summer is quickly becoming a blur. June was a pretty decent month. July was sketchy at best, but most Maritimers would agree that having too much rain is far better than the plight of our friends in western Canada who have been suffering the effects of devastating wildfires. August has been pretty steamy so far. It was very hot and humid on the second day of my big walk. It took me several days to recover from my 77 kilometer walk around the Cape. It felt very much like the aftermath of running a marathon. I drank plenty of liquids in recent days trying to restore chemical imbalances that occur during extreme activity.

The day after my big walk, I headed up to Halifax. One of my granddaughters was having dental surgery at the IWK Children’s Hospital and I went up to lend a hand. Many of us have on one occasion or another, gone to the IWK with one of our own children or at the time of the birth of grandchildren. People in Atlantic Canada know that the IWK is an outstanding hospital providing world class care to young people.

I have had several surgeries over my lifetime and no matter how grizzled one is, there is always an unsettling feeling in the days leading up to an operation or procedure. Children are no different. I was asked by my daughter to go to the hospital to assist her the day of the surgery.

Unless you’ve been to the IWK, or any children’s hospital, it is hard to describe the atmosphere. These are very special institutions and I feel quite certain that the most important attributes of an employee in the hospital are compassion and good humour. We had to be at the hospital two hours before the procedure. That is a long time to entertain an eight-year-old who is understandably anxious and worried.

The nurse who did all the pre-op work was a young man. He spoke in calm, reassuring tones as he went through his list of duties. At the first sign of distress, he started pulling tricks out of his magic bag. He brought in a multi-sensory cart. After dimming the lights, he flicked a switch and it was like a lava lamp on steroids. The room was filled with warm glows of red, green and blue, instantly changing the ambience in the room. As we got closer to the time of surgery, there were some rough moments. An iPad was produced with children’s videos and games, and this was followed up by a Nintendo switch. All of these tools were used to calm, relax and reassure our granddaughter.

Everything went very well and after two hours in the waiting room, the surgeon met with us to give a report. She was delightful, just like every other person we dealt with that day at the hospital. I happened to look down and saw the surgeon’s footwear. Everything about the surgeon was joyful right down to her shoes! A few hours later, we were able to leave the hospital.

I can’t say enough about the care my granddaughter received. I must remind myself to send a donation to the IWK the next time they have an appeal.

The tooth fairy.

How much did the tooth fairy leave you when you were a child? I’m quite certain that the going rate back in the 50s and 60s was .25. Rarely was there more than one tooth involved. You wrapped up your tooth in a piece of Kleenex or toilet paper and tucked it under your pillow and awoke to find enough money to buy a Jos Louis and a Coke, which, of course, led to more tooth decay and more extractions. As an aside, the night before the surgery, my daughter had purchased a chocolate cake, a surrogate birthday cake. To say that it was sweet would be an understatement. The icing was so sweet that none of us were able to eat a whole slice. Surely you remember caramel cakes. It’s shocking that any of us old geezers have any teeth at all after consuming these sugar laced treats.

My granddaughter had several teeth removed. Now, the IWK doesn’t return the extracted teeth to their rightful owner. They give the child a certificate indicating the number of teeth. When my daughter told me what the tooth fairy would be leaving (just a small mortgage payment) my jaw dropped. I used to be able to do a calculation of the time value of money but even wildly adjusted for inflation, it wouldn’t come close to the payout for a lost tooth in 2021.

As the surgeon turned to go, I was tempted to ask her if she could quickly remove a few of my teeth. With the money from the tooth fairy, I would be able to afford a nice meal at The Keg, something I have been coveting for more than two years. Mind you, with a few missing teeth, I might not have been able to chew my steak. I could have made a serious dent in the unlimited salad bar.

I am happy to report that my granddaughter’s recovery was speedy and the next day she was outside playing with neighborhood friends.

Thank you, IWK!

Have a great week.

P.S. In case you missed it, I received the most amazing present a few days before my birthday. When I returned from India four years ago, I gave all of my Indian clothes to a friend who is a quilter. She arrived at my apartment and presented me with a memory quilt containing pieces of fabric from the clothing I had given her. It is magnificent and I will cherish it forever. Thanks, MD!!!