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Just mentioned in another thread about my possible health problems, I just can't be ill, it's bad enough having an hour or two off for recent medical appointments.
I haven't got a plan because I don't want to be ill :-(
Sadly Andy I think there are far too many people running businesses (not just in the landscape industry) that are in the same boat as you.
For too long the emphasis has been on show gardens and awards rather that practitioner welfare.
andy@ Doughty Garden Maintenance said:
i remember doing forestry, i managed to take down quite a few trees, the lad working for me did all the lifting and carrying, holding the chainsaw was agony. At one point i sat on the ground for a rest, then couldn't get up again! I had to crawl on all fours and pull myself up using a tree trunk.
i am a stubborn sod it has to be said.
You can learn a lot about yourself through adversity, most people just give up and say they can't do it, sadly. I say kick arse, find out what you can really do, the human body and mind is really incredible and what you think is unachievable can be achieved, you have just never pushed yourself....until you have really tried.
...and of course most people don't have - or cannot afford - the right health cover.
Through my business life I've not had enough cover to insure against serious illness or a major accident (or death for that matter).
But how can this ever be tackled? Low wages/prices in the landscape industry (and I cannot see a spike in the foreseeable future) means there isn't enough left in the pot to invest in insurance or medical cover.
The lack of spare cash is probably one of the main reasons that no company has ever set up any kind of scheme to cover our many and diverse practitioners and the firms they work for.
Whilst its admirable to continue working under great pain, its worth bearing in mind that the pain is an alarm that something is wrong...... if it stops you bending, its doing that for a purpose to enable the body to recover and I'm not sure its a good idea to punish your body further lol!! A cold is a different matter. A builder friend blames his current joint/muscle problems on ignoring the warning symptoms and continuing to work whilst in great pain.