Don’t Ever Be a Martyr

After I had been overwhelmed and deeply traumatized

By an unfortunate, aggressive and totally hostile encounter

Someone said to me, “Don’t ever be a martyr – don’t continue to feel hurt.”

That, I felt, was the best advice I ever had.

I have now become stronger and more confident of myself

I’d counter hurtful encounters with indifference

I don’t complain about them

Neither do I write about them.

I’d just let them fly into the winds

ltbs

It is tact that is golden, not silence

Samuel Butler

A Smirk Hurt Me More

As I was walking home from a supermarket near my house, I experienced a hard knock on my head, followed by excruciating pain. I was hit by a crash helmet. It was done by a young boy riding pillion on a motor-bike. Seeing that I had not fallen from the hopefully killing blow, they rode away. The blow did not kill me but the smirk on the face of the pillion rider as he looked behind to see whether I had fallen killed me more than the possible fatal blow.

On making the police report, I was referred to the General Hospital where I was prescribed a few tablets of panadol and sent home. Being dissatisfied with the treatment at the hospital, I consulted a neurologist at a private hospital. A CT brain scan was done on me but no clots were seen. I was admitted for a one-night stay for observation.

I did not lose any money from the unfortunate encounter but the medical bill came up to nearly RM2000 as the medical fees and CT scan charges were doubled, being a Sunday. It was quite tough for me as I had no pension or medical insurance. But this was nothing compared to the hurt and disillusionment triggered off by that smug smirk of the would-be mugger of a pillion rider.

ltbs


Rest, as soon as there is pain, is a great restorative in all disturbances of the body.

Hippocrates

A Nasty Fall From a Hammock

Early one morning while I was lying in a hammock, enjoying a book and listening to the falling rain on the corrugated zinc roof, one end of the hammock suddenly gave way. It happened so fast that I found myself falling, hitting the back of my head hard on the concrete floor and being blinded by bright light momentarily.

I stayed on the floor for a few minutes and when my sight returned, I examined my head with my left hand. I found a slight bump but there was no bleeding on my head. I felt all right, too, so I got up.

I then phoned my wife and told her about the incident. I said that I was fine but she told me to stay where I was. She drove up within twenty minutes and insisted that she take me to the doctor's.

The GP examined my head, my eyes and my reflexes on my arms and my legs. He then told me that he could not find anything physically wrong with me. However, should I suffer any extreme giddiness, vomiting, or bleeding from the nose or ears later within the next twenty-four hours, my wife should rush me to the hospital.

We left the clinic, feeling a bit apprehensive while we waited for twenty-four hours. We were rather relieved that I did not suffer any further serious symptoms except for a sore left shoulder and a slight pain on the back of the head when the time limit was over.

ltbs

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
Mother Teresa