You will be aware of the incident that happened to Christian Eriksen in the recent Denmark vs Ukraine game.
Well I had one of those defibrillators fitted following a pretty bad heart attack back in 2017.
It has sat there in my chest looking like one of those little bugs in “The Mummy” doing nowt for years.
Until now.
While Christian Eriksen was out there playing international football, I was doing my best Monty Don impersonation in the garden, moving a few plants .
I started to feel a bit off, initially put it down to the heat, dehydration, over-exertion, basically anything but my heart. Obviously I’m not the brightest of guys.
Luckily, I sat down, because a few seconds later my lights go out. I’m a dead man.
Next thing I know, I’m coming back to the world, following the defib blast.
It turns out that my heart had totally lost the plot and had actually reached 300 bpm before thinking, that’s enough of that and switched off.
You don’t need to be a Doctor to know that your heart isn’t meant to reach 300bpm, even during the final minutes of a league cup final when you are leading 2-1.
So what on earth has my medical problems got to do with Newcastle United?
Well during the last week or two, many of us have contributed a piece about how we feel about the past Newcastle United season and our hopes for the next one.
The responses have been varied, which you would hope they would be. We are not robots.
Okay, so technically you could say that I am part machine, but you take my point.
Some Newcastle United fans feel that a top four place is there for us next season, right through to those who feel we need to rip it all up and start again.
Me? Well I was typically fence sitting, disappointed not dejected.
If I had been writing this as the 30 year old me, then it would have looked like a heavily censored MI5 Document, because the Editor would have needed to hide all the swear words.
A 30 year old me would not be happy with the way things have gone, 30 year old me would be demanding change.
But the 30 year old “sack the board” and “come on then” angry young man is long gone.
Although when we rolled over against the Mackems that man was back. I was very very angry.
However, the fact that the 66 year old me was nearly gone only days ago, does now keep things in perspective.
Football and Newcastle United in general has played a huge part in my life and I would not change that, but in the great scheme of things, it is basically a bunch of millionaires in short pants chasing a bag of air around a field.
Why we all care so much about football is baffling because what really matters is a lot closer to home.
I saw my consultant after this very recent ‘Christian Eriksen’ incident.
He told me I can’t drive for six months.
“Can I fly?”
“I would think so, when are you thinking of going?”
“Tomorrow.”
Photo by Jinky Jim via The Mag
Which is why I write this piece on a Greek island, with my wife, daughter and little granddaughter, eating seafood pasta in a beautiful restaurant in the hills.
Life is good.
So whatever happens next season, then so be it.
I am just glad to be around to see it.