gay crisis

A young Pakistani man comes in to ask for help with a really tricky problem: he is born and raised in the UK, and is thoroughly "westernised", but his family have been lining up a series of prospective brides for his consideration back in the old country. Now this would be a big enough problem by itself, for someone raised in the (relatively) enlightened west, where people have the opportunity to choose who they spend their lives with, but this poor chap thinks he "could be gay", whatever that means. At just 17, he might well be too young to know exactly what he is, but he does know one thing: he doesn't want an arranged marriage at any price. We have a long chat before I arrange for him to see our practice counsellor. Whether that will help him much I'm not sure, but I have to be seen to be doing something.

This afternoon, I go for my 3rd appointment with my physio, who confirms I have considerably increased my range of movement, whilst conceding I still have a way to go. She gives me some new new moves to work on, while I review her progress with learning to juggle 3 balls. She too would seem to have a way to go, but in that discipline there is often a period of frustrating lack of progress before a sort of "quantum leap" is achieved and you suddenly find yourself in that wonderful position of being able to say, as I told her this afternoon, "Look mum, I'm juggling!"

My next appointment is now nearly 5 weeks away; perhaps both of us will have made some breakthroughs by then