On Waking Up

I woke up with a stinking headache. That was very unusual.

It was pitch black. There was no electricity. Where was the bedside torch? What happened to my emergency lighting? I became quite disorientated. What was happening?

Eventually, after what seemed like an age, I woke up - properly.

The first 'waking up' was a dream (headache included). However, I then lay awake for ages before eventually getting up around 0630. I could not stop thinking about the millions of people in the world at the moment for whom such an event can be commonplace (not always in the pitch dark but nevertheless....). I suppose I was thinking particularly at the moment of Gaza and Ukraine although they are just the principle ones in the British news. 

However it's not 'just' being disoriented. What about millions of people who don't just get up and go. For example many people (including me) have some degree of 'external plumbing' or prosthetic limbs or are on a breathing or sleep aid of some sort. For many many people getting out of bed is not a straightforward matter at the best of times. 

And then there's the millions who don't even have a bed.

Since the Iraq war was brought to us live on television, we are now at the stage where we see all these things on television in our own homes and we take them for granted. We do nothing because they are happening 'somewhere else' to 'someone else'. 

For the time being......

PS: My next post will be cheerful....promise!