People

People. And the joy thereof. We watched the movie Watchmen the other night. Had some interesting moments, a few killer CGIs and a plot that challenged even the most ardent Superhero fanatic. The end was particularly poignant and contained the dialogue that if the entire population of the planet was to suddenly self destruct, nature would hardly notice.

That is not to say that a percentage of people (albeit small) should be noticed now. And here. And often.

I am constantly reminded of this fact as I stumble through, and maneuver around the potholes, pitfalls, roadblocks and ironies of life in the modern world.

Case in point: We have been engaged in a rolling dialogue the past week of the differences between life in America and life in the UK. A current example is that of national health care. They have it and we don't. The opposition to Obama's plan are the GOP, and their conservative views and fear of socialism. Is it imbedded in this stance that the status quo is to be maintained at all costs because it serves a fraction of the population well, and others (of less entitled caste) not-so-well? Is fear of change so powerful that it is to be avoided at all cost? Is any concept the slightest bit "liberal" automatically labeled as "radical" and therefore, immediately evil? Are the insurance lobby, Big Pharma and the AMA THAT powerful and greedy?

Then what? Come on, give it to me. Tell me what I am missing other than the fact that, again, the powerful don't want to lose power, the wealthy don't want to lose wealth, and the system works fine as it is, so don't even think about change, let alone reform.

My friend Fiona, since her AG victory in Clearwater in 2007, and stunning performance at Kona in 2006, has been suffering from a condition diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome. She continues to maintain her hard-earned fitness through a greatly reduced training schedule, her coaching and a healthy lifestyle. We had a terrific 10K trail run the other day as example. Yet she was suffering shortness of breath and mild chest pains my entire stay, waiving them off with a "I'll be fine" comment after each incident. Walking up a slight hill to dinner Monday night we almost didn't make it because of this. Both Simon, her Mom Leslie, and I were very concerned.

Yesterday Fiona went to see another specialist to get an updated diagnosis. The MD immediately wrote her a prescription to go see a cardiologist at the hospital A&E, accidents and emergencies. Their version of our ER. Simon and I were notified as we were shooting video in a park near his office. We sped through the streets of Bradford in his Porsche Carerra to transport her to the A&E in a most Bond-like fashion. Fiona was admitted to the hospital for testing and an overnight stay.

As Simon and I gorged on pizza at their place later in the evening, the discussion began anew. I asked, "What about insurance for all of this?". "It's covered by NHS." National Health Service. "All of it, everything?" "Yes".

People. Doctors, Coaches, athletes, people-on-the-streets, conquerors, barristas, the best of us and the not-so-best. Number Ones and Numbers 2-2 billion. All of us. Every one. Take care of them while here.

People. Nature would notice if they were gone.

How she would react to their absence is another issue altogether.

Numer One (means Thomas in this case)
Constantine the Great as statue in York.
Leslie and the local FBI on the Shambles.
Dinner with Ian, Felicity, Simon and Fiona. RCVman's jacket designates his presence paparazzi.