Crosswords
Ministerial Meandering
Crosswords
By way of recovering from ‘business’, to which we are all rather over-prone, Sheila and I like to do General Knowledge crosswords, downloaded from the Sunday Telegraph in the UK.
Sometimes they are informative - which means that I didn’t have a clue about half of the answers, and had to look them up; sometimes they are frustrating - which means I didn’t understand any of the clues, and so naturally put it down to the lack of cerebral capacity on the part of the compiler; and sometimes they are just right - which means we got all the answers without having to look any up. Aren’t we clever? Bit like the Three Bears really -“Who’s been sleeping in my porridge?”
Today, we were expected to know the title of films that Sly Stallone made over 30 years ago, and have a working knowledge of obscure BBC television programmes, which, had we a television that could access the BBC, we wouldn’t have been seen dead watching.
But amongst the vital trivia that did not defeat us were a couple of definitions; ‘Those without possessions’, and ‘Being morose as a result of resentment’. The answers that you will have nailed in microseconds, were, ‘Have-nots’, and ‘Sulking’. Not quite MENSA star quality, but informative. No cross words there, then.
Sitting at my desk with all its familiar and happy clutter on it, and knowing that both Sheila and I, along with our two (spectacular) dogs are homed and well-fed, reminds me of times when I have been in less comfortable environs. My time in Gaza with the ICRC (Red Cross) came to mind. Along with my time in Mozambique during the floods of the Limpopo valley in 2000.
This isn’t supposed to be a travelogue, but a time of reflection on when I was working with people who were definitely ‘have-nots’, and could have had every reason to be ‘sulking’, as they had been denied access to the basics of what Sheila and I, Gracie and Niko - now take for granted. War had blown their country to bits, and they had no hope of rebuilding it, at least in the foreseeable future. Food was scarce, and sometimes dangerous to go and find. The streets were patrolled by heavily-armed, black-shirted Hamas militia - and they were supposed to be on ‘our’ side!
But the locals were not sulking, they were not resentful, they were not morose; they were not uttering cross words; if anything, they were sad and tired. Yet they still had time to smile, and any excuse for a meal with friends was received with enormous enthusiasm. Everyone pitched in to make it work. ‘Pot-luck' took on a completely different meaning in those circumstances. And we really shared. In our little house allocated to the Red Cross, workmen were still trying to build us a bomb shelter - but tended to get interrupted by alerts and disturbances every day, and the shelter was never completed in my time there.
Fortunately for my team, we were working in various hospitals in the Gaza Strip, attempting to pass on the rudiments of acute trauma management from the ‘front door’ onwards into the OR and beyond. It wasn’t an easy task, but despite having to do this with bombing sirens going off from moment to moment, we were actually only bombed once - and because I’m here writing this, they missed - me, at least.
My point is a very simple one; be enormously grateful for what you have. I can only imagine what those in Ukraine are enduring, but with some experience to back it up.
What I can tell you is that humour and determination will be seeing them through, along with the utmost love for one another. So they will be sharing everything they have - and they won’t be sulking. Very few cross words, I betcha.
Philip+