I’ve used spreadsheets for many years. Financial matters for school, church, theatre, home…
Last Friday morning I was working on a ‘Seagull Theatre’ spreadsheet. After lunch the screen announced that I couldn’t access the file. I tried all I knew and failed.
Yesterday I took my laptop to computer-wise Des and 2 shops. They all said the same. Impossible. I couldn’t access anything. Many hours of work… all of this year’s financial records…
It’s a problem…
Yesterday I spoke to Kate. Her husband has been in hospital for a month with diabetes-related problems. He’s immobile and unlikely to come out of hospital in the foreseeable future.
Later I spoke with Brenda. Her husband went into hospital last week with heart-related concerns; it seems that he won’t be out this week. Neither Kate nor Brenda can visit their husbands because of Covid restrictions…
It puts my problem into perspective.
The word ‘triage’ seems to be used increasingly… assessing needs in hospital emergency departments.
Triage is a French word, used historically in the context of sorting things out regarding quality… e.g. wool or coffee beans. More recently it was used on the battlefield… to sort out the wounded into 3 (‘tri’) groups – dangerously, less dangerously and slightly wounded… hence to hospitals.
Perhaps problems need to be triaged.
Last night I watched former MP Ed Balls experiencing life as a care-home worker. He reported on problems… those suffering with dementia, undervalued, skilled and stressed care-home staff…
…On the news…Reports from the climate change conference – deeper floods, bigger fires, higher temperatures… Racial discrimination and abuse at Yorkshire Cricket Club…. Refugees in Belarus and Afghanistan…
The national and international problem triage…
Musing… St Paul: ‘…the Spirit of wisdom and revelation… I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…’
My triaged problems don’t go away, but I see beyond them to wisdom, peace, and hope.
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