I have no pride

Carrying a heavy bag up and down stairs in the Underground on Sunday caused some kind of tear in a muscle that goes across my sternum or breastbone. The right side of my chest was very tender to touch and very painful, especially at night. I wondered if I was having a heart attack. The pain continued Tuesday and I got Paracetamol to take the edge off. But I had three nights of little sleep--four counting the night before I traveled.
By Friday (today), the pain had eased off but today I’d be carrying that bloody bag up and down stairs in the Undergrounds and to get up and down the metal stairs to the plane.
At lunchtime today, we adjourned to a pub for a team lunch. I had to leave directly from the pub to catch my flight home. So I had the bloody bag with me. As luck would have it, our table was up a steep flight of stairs. As luck would have it, I was talking to the Australian in charge of the ESG team as we approached the stairs. The same man who, during my interview, asked me if I’d have any problem working with young people. As we approached the long flight of stairs, he asked if he could carry my bag for me. I used to pride myself on my do-it-myself ethic. Like carrying 40-pound bags of dog food from the store to the car. I never let people do things for me. However. The pain in my chest had only recently slackened and I didn’t want it to roar back to life. So I swallowed my pride and let Mr. Can You Hang With Young People? carry my bag.
A few hours later, when I boarded my EasyJet flight, I saw a strapping young guy moving into the middle seat of the row where I had the aisle seat. I asked him if he’d put my bag in the overhead bin. I hate that clean jerk movement of getting a big heavy bag above my head and slotted into a bin, while surrounded by people whose heads I’d rather not bang. The man very graciously did it and I congratulated myself for not hesitating to ask for help and not feeling too bad about letting a young guy in the prime of life do something that made me feel vulnerable.
Apropos of nothing, here’s the flower arrangement at the front desk of the building where I work when I’m in London.

30 Nov