Next
So I spent my lovely four days at the seaside, swimming in the morning sunrise, processing the video recordings of the conference the rest of the days.
Book Fair
The Vienna Book Fair was on, and Josef had already left Cyprus to attend, as his book was also on display at Kando Verlag. I got home late Friday night, in fact early Saturday morning, and we went to the Vienna Exhibition Grounds together. A brief selfie before going in. Then I managed to live-stream Josef’s interview to Facebook as he answered questions about his book.
Leigh Turner
I saw Leigh Turner, whom I’ve been following for some time and bought a copy of his new book: “A Hitchhikers Guide to Diplomacy“.
Monday Morning
I had an appointment for a heart examination at nuclear medicine. No coffee, no tea, no cocoa, no medications beforehand. I was pushed into a tube to be examined and photographed after getting a dose of radioaxctive material into my arm.
Broken Rib
It took me a few days to realize that the pain in my chest was not going away. It felt like a stitch when you run and have to struggle to catch your breath. But it didn’t go away. I was especially sensitive when trying to go to bed and could not lie on my right side. A couple more days of endurance and I told Josef it felt like a broken rib, or pleurisy. Finally, on Monday I cancelled my lymph drainage appointment and arranged for a doctor’s appointment at my local general practitioner (GP).
Tested Positive
I got to the doctor to find a young lady in the office who irately proclaimed she had tested positive four times and demanded some attention. The attendant patiently informed her that she should not even be in the surgery if she is contagiousand quickly handed her a face mask to wear. She was then asked to wait in a separate room.
Eventually I was called into the doctor’s room, and she assured me my lungs were okay. She gave me a referral for the x-ray saying that it didn’t make any difference, she couldn’t do anything else for me.
Shortly afterwards, I began coughing and wheezing.
No, I did not take a Covid test.
No, I did not get the chest x-ray.
Believe what you like. I had excruciating pain for over a week after that as every breath and every cough caused extreme pain in my ribs.
Women in History
I started to think about my mother, and her mother and then even my father’s mother. From my understanding of Divine Principle, I believe that accepting and enduring difficulties and pain creates a condition for spiritual growth. I came to appreciate how lucky I am to be living at this time in history. I have just come back from a wonderful time at the seaside. I have paid, modern, medical care just a few minutes from my home. My doctor took time for me even though her assistant said she was booked out for more than a week.
Wow! How lucky I am!
I am a product of history. I have an amazing mother who was brave enough to take a ship to Australia, to a man she had just met in France and married a few weeks before. I grew up in the lucky country, Australia, where my parents left communism, intolerance and the ravages of war behind them.
Australian in Austria
Now I am living a privileged life in Vienna, where I can attend Toastmasters meetings with international civil servants from all parts of the world, who work in all areas of peace building at the United Nations. I can contribute to their personal and professional growth.
Christmas Concerts
I can attend my sons’ Christmas concerts around the Christmas Markets in Vienna.
What happened next?
You will always manage to find another bad luck story if that is what you are looking for.
As Henry Ford said:
Whether You Think You Can, or Think You Can’t … You’re Right.
Believe me it was not easy, and I can’t stop beating myself up for not posting when I was feeling so down. However, I am back up. I am grateful. And I recognize the power of positive thinking.