::: THE "TO DO" LIST ::: Yesterday was it. I couldn't procrastinate any longer than I already have, so it was time to get things done. My list consisted of getting my annual Flu vaccination. Wait time: 2 hrs. A near miss, but done. Hahaha, doctor: "Didn't I order a bunch of tests I wanted you to have?" I grinned, "Yup, you sure did and I'm going to the hospital right now." She smiled wanly, "Good." I don't like going for tests on the theory that a) I'm not sick, b) it's a waste of time, money and resources that could be used on people who are really, really sick. If I'm still breathing, walking, talking and laughing, then I'm alive and well. Thank you very much. She was concerned about the concussion I had thanks to my little accident last January. I rattled my brain really good but figured that if I didn't have an aphasia, then how bad could it be? I only told her about it in July. Oh the look she gave me. Could have melted the permafrost above the D.E.W. line. So, leaving her to her charts, it was off to the hospital to make my doctor happy for a change and get a B/P reading, then off to Haematology for blood tests - another 2 hr wait, (I knew I had blood, and it wasn't green), and then over to Cardiology for an ECG all of which the doctor had asked for back in July. That was fast. I hugged a lot of patients and wheeled one woman in her wheelchair down the hallway and generally had a good time making people smile. Waiting rooms and hospitals are dreadful places that nobody wants to be in and some a whole lot less than others. ::: Before I left the hospital I dropped in at the hospital volunteer managed gift shop picked up a few items and as the Senior on staff at the moment and I were looking at things I noticed they had a good stock of chocolate goodies, so I asked her if she liked chocolate. "I love chocolate," she said. So I said to her, "Well tell me, look at them all and tell me which would be your favourite." She couldn't make up her mind, my time was limited, so I picked out a lovely box of mixed dark Belgian chocolates, prettily packaged and together we looked at the contents, "How about these? Do you think?" She liked them, so I added the box to the rest of the few items and after I'd finished paying for everything, I handed the box of chocolates to her and said, "Here, these are for you. Not enough people appreciate what you Volunteers do for others this is my thanks, so "Merry Christmas" and let me give you a hug." I gave her a hug. The look on her face was worth the price of admission. ::: This is nothing new for me, and was actually the reason I went into the boutique to begin with. Anytime I have the opportunity of doing something that is both spontaneous and will make somebody, somewhere feel just a little bit better for that day at least. No charge for either the smiles, the hugs or the little gifts. Everybody wins. ::: Much more 'interesting' was the cab driver who robbed me of twenty dollars because he didn't have change and all I had was a twenty dollar bill. The cab driver didn't have his portable Interac machine with him, which he was supposed to and was how I was going to pay him. He thought somebody at the first Clinic would have change. I told him I doubted it, but I was stuck as had I left the Clinic I would have lost my spot in line, so he said he'd go get change and bring me back what he owed me. Ever hear the expression, "a fool and his money are soon parted?" Uh huh. I don't carry more cash on me than I absolutely need to do whatever it is that I need to do. That twenty was just enough to get me from the Clinic to the hospital and back home again. ::: So there I was in the middle of nowhere when I met a young lady coming out of the building I was in so I asked her if she could please give me a lift to the hospital which she was pleased to do for me after I explained to her what had happened. "No trouble at all," she said. We introduced ourselves to each other. I learned her name was "Meagan" and that she had just graduated from college with a degree in Physiotherapy and that she was in Montreal looking for work even though she was from Northern Ontario and had just driven in for the day. I said, "Oh good, let's just keep driving all the way back to Ontario as I was hoping to move there and that she could point me in the right direction." She laughed and then told me how much she loved Montreal and that this was where she had taken her college courses here and would love to live here. "No jobs in Ontario?" I asked her. The answer was negatory. She said the biggest problem was that to work in Montreal she needed French to pass the Board tests. I agreed that it was a major, major problem here for all professionals coming into the Province. I said that was a pity, here she was wanting to get into Montreal and that I wanted to get out of it. We exchanged email addresses and she drove off. Talk about twists of fate. I had what she needed and she had what I wanted. Life is can be both wonderful and strange all at the same time. ::: Not finished with my To Do List I had to then go to the Shopping Center from Hell. That particular Mall is so badly designed that once you get into it you may end up being like the man in the M.T.A. who never returned. I avoid Malls like the plague but sometimes you simply don't have any real choice. This was one of those times. I'd been on the run since 8:30 AM and it was now late afternoon and I was getting very tired, but I pressed on. My quest was my year end hunt for calendars. You'd think it a simple matter, right? Wrong. I went to the Hallmark store and immediately felt like the Three Bears in the fairy tale. I always need four things: a wall calendar big enough that I can actually see the days with space to write notes, a large size Agenda for my desk, a small one for my fridge, and a new address book which has to be new every year since people have this bad habit of dropping off the planet one way or the other: in a car or in a box. At least that's the way it is when you reach a certain age. My list is growing ever shorter. All done. ::: I had one more thing to do. Did it, only to find out when I got home that it was the wrong size. Damn. Translation: I'll have to return it. Arggghh! ::: As I was about to leave the shopping center I passed the jewelery store, and because I know the owners, I dropped in to say hello and wish them holiday greetings. My friend says, "How about a nice..." I smiled broadly, "Good luck on that one, but nice try." I only wear three pieces of jewelery and then only when I have to go out. Standard issue I've been wearing for decades. As I was about to exit I bumped into a very old girlfriend of mine I hadn't seen in a year. I almost didn't recognize her she had changed so much. She introduced me to her daughter, hugs all around, we chatted and caught up with the latest news in our lives and with promises to meet each other as soon as the dust settled for her, a quick hug and I was gone. It felt like midnight and had grown very cold outside. Another cab, some good chatter and home sweet home. ::: The problem with going anywhere today is sensory overload. There is just too much of everything everywhere in massive quantities. It's amazing what I don't need. If I never saw another store in my life it would suit me just fine. Getting me to leave home is harder than trying to stuff feathers back into a pillow. Terminal exhaustion sets in and my brain turns to mushy wet noodles and my ears ring. But oh, I do meet lovely people no matter where I go. I just don't want them all in my house all at the same time in one room. :::