Covid, Badges and the Future - A Personal Reflection.

[Wooffy]

I started writing this post yesterday and binned it. But having had another night to reflect on it, I think its worth another attempt - so here goes.

I suspect, like others here, I have been unfortunate enough to contract Covid. Ultimately I was admitted to hospital on the 1st Jan, finally being declared fit enough to be released home on the 13th Jan as I no longer needed oxygen support to breathe. Not only am I recovering from Covid, but it has given me multiple blood clots in both my lungs which I am also recovering from. I could wax lyrical about how grateful I am to those working in the NHS for hours - indeed I'm not sure if I can put into words just how grateful I really am. At the same time, i can picture the seven people who died on my Covid ward whilst I was there and that is something I am still struggling to overcome right now, particularly given that some of those gentlemen were considerably younger than me. To add - I was the first person to leave the ward and get home in almost 2 weeks. Whilst in hospital I have had far too much time to think about things, indeed probably overthinking many things if truth be told. However, I have considered long and hard what I do and why - and this brings me to badges, collecting and the future.

Like many people here, I specialise in a particular field of collecting. However, I have accumulated both a reasonable collection and also a reasonable knowledge associated with this area. Having dabbled with sharing this knowledge previously, my time in hospital has made me even more determined to produce something which outlasts me! Yes, a work in progress and lots to work out, but a refocusing on making sure what I know is passed on to those who are interested.

So why the post?

There are people here, as part of this forum, who have frankly amazing collections and vast, in-depth knowledge in very different and diverse areas. (Arguably beyond that found in dedicated/ regimental museums in some cases). What I would like you to consider is how you could/ will pass your knowledge on about your particular area of expertise? To add; I'm not trying to be morbid, indeed quite the opposite in fact, I'm simply grateful for the opportunity to make sure that my decades of collecting help those that follow in my/ our footsteps and would like to encourage members of the forum to consider the same.

Thanks for taking the time to read this...

Dave