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The Campbell Clinic Christmas night out was on the 14^th December but the real TCC Christmas celebration took place the Tuesday after 12pm – 2pm at the practice – The Campbell Clinic Christmas Fuddle.

This has become a tradition over the years at the clinic and happens the week before Christmas.

It came from the fact that we used to get M&S vouchers given to us by the supplier CTS for buying electric toothbrushes and we would save them up through the year and use them to buy M&S stuff for our fuddle. It has grown to something huge.

On Tuesday morning Marie and various other helpers get everything together and the practice closes just before 12pm. There is a feast of Christmas stuff to eat and bad stuff (non alcoholic) to drink and then Secret Santa.

This year I felt like standing up and saying something before the Secret Santa (but I didn’t)

When I walked into the practice in March 2008 there were three people in the waiting room waiting to meet me and I sat down to make the fourth member of the team.

It was basically an interview with the people who were already there.

I couldn’t count the amount of people that sat in that waiting room on that Tuesday.. 20… 25… I didn’t count.

I wanted to tell them that and tell them how far we’d come but I’ve told them that a lot of times and I think it’s just water off a duck’s back now.

I see it though. I see it every day. The room I sit in upstairs started as my office but it had been Ian’s bedroom.

Ian and I then shared the big office together while Marie typed in the little office.

Now the ‘big’ office that Ian and I shared sometimes has 5 people working simultaneously while other people are working from home.

The funny thing is that it doesn’t mean it’s better, it just means it’s bigger, so you have to make sure that the bigger is making it better.

After we’d finished the fuddle I came upstairs and Marie told me she needed nine blogs because she’s off work for one reason or another so she needs to get them typed and scheduled.

As a joke I said to the guys “you better find me nine blog titles before I come back up from seeing this patient”

So some of the upcoming blogs are part of the titles they chose in the office that day. They suggested I wrote about Secret Santa so I thought about it and this is where I went.

When I opened my Secret Santa present I was given a book (I think I know who it was from) called ‘Keep Calm and Pedal On’ and it’s a selection of cycling quotes around different subjects.

On page 148 there is a quote from Greg LeMond, he who was the first American to win the Tour and at that time the most famous cyclist in the world.

“It never gets easier, you just go faster”  

As I flicked through the book it was that one that stood out.

It isn’t easier with 25 or 35 people, we’re just going faster. It’s as hard to cycle up the hill on a wet January day as it is to cycle up the Dolomites on a beautiful September day. It isn’t any easier those days either, you’re just going faster in a different place.

The turkey doesn’t taste any sweeter and the presents don’t feel any better, but maybe by us going faster we can make more of a difference to more people.

Blog Post Number: 1868