I know this is beginning to look like a blog about Modbury Hospital, but today was hopefully the last time I’ll be visiting for a while. Nanny was in good spirits and is looking forward to moving into permanent care tomorrow. I stayed for around 45 minutes, and as I was leaving, I took a last look around the Geriatric Rehabilitation Unit.
When the lift opens on the fourth floor, there’s a large reception desk. It has been unmanned most of the time I’ve been visiting because I go after five, but every time I see that desk it brings back so many memories of my own time working on reception. I absolutely love it.
People often look down on the role of the receptionist as if it’s a menial position, but really, it’s at the heart of any organisation. The reception desk is the first impression, the central connection point, the place where everything begins.
Sometimes when I think about it, I want to go back to that type of work — but I’m not sure how different it might feel now that I’m older.
When I was just about to exit the building, I stopped to take a photo of the coffee shop sign. As I was doing that, I suddenly heard chains clanging and people talking. I looked up, and there was a female prisoner being led back to her transportation.
You can actually see the guards in the photo I took of the sign. I’ve never seen anything like that before in a public place.
Tonight my mum was out and she bumped into a man we both know — and both despise. Mum dislikes him even more than I do, and that’s saying something, because I’ve always really disliked him. About nine years ago, he genuinely hurt my feelings. He was outright nasty to me — not through anything he said, but through his actions towards me. I don’t want to be the sort of person who holds a grudge or wishes ill on anyone, but I’ve carried very strong feelings of dislike for him.
To my surprise, Mum told me he asked about me. I could hardly believe it. He is such a cold, callous, revolting person that the idea of him enquiring after me really shocked me. Then Mum said something that stunned me even more: he told her that I’ve always been interested in everything, that I have a big brain, and that I’m a very active person.
That blew me away. While I’ve known him for nearly thirty years, he doesn’t know me well enough to make statements like that — not really. But hearing that he said it… something shifted. Some of the dislike and the negative feelings I’d held onto for so long dissolved, and in that moment, I felt released from it.
