Julie Gray

exercise-crazy Kiwi! aspiring yoga teacher; energetic; chatter-box; loyal friend; passionate; unapologetically doing my own thing; timendi causa est nescire

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

Donated 👍 #Ukriane #UkraineCrisis #StandWithUkraine️ #StopPutinNOW
https://t.co/fLNHyjrDeg

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.

Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.

One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.

Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.

Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"

"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."

He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."

The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."

Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.

But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,

"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."

So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.

Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."

Let this story reach more hearts....

Credit: Mary Nelson

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@nationalrailenq Thank you.

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

FirstPort!! You truly excel at incompetence!! Had 2 calls to your OOO team last night and they still do not understand our problem. 3rd time lucky??? 😆 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️ It's a joke ... seriously ... how is it you are still in business? But please... take a bow ...

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@Number10cat Legend Larry!! 💯🙌 lol thanks 😊 night 😴 💤

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@BradSchoenfeld Weightlifting newbie since Oct last year. I love supersets! Bought your book Muscle Plan and listening to your podcasts. I love all of this! Thank you!! 🙌🏋️‍♂️💪😁 truly fascinating science. Everyone needs to get the memo! 😊💯 #weightresistancetraining

[Larry the Cat @Number10cat]

80 years ago tonight more than 100,000 Canadian, American and British troops went to bed knowing that the next morning they were sailing to Normandy to start the campaign to rid Europe of the scourge of Nazism. We owe it to all those who showed such tremendous bravery on D-day to ensure the vicious cancer of fascism never returns

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@Number10cat @PoliticalPics 😂😂😂

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@Mikhowley @ThatBloke_Jesus 🤣🤣 I see what ya did there lol

[Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. @hubermanlab]

I am convinced that the 8 pillars of Mental & Physical Health are:
1) Sleep
2) (Sun)light
3) Exercise
4) Stress Management
5) Relationships (Incl. To Self)
6) Nutrients (Amt., Timing, Content)
7) Oral Health & Gut Microbiome
8) Spiritual Grounding
Additions? Subtractions?

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

Thank you so much @qwag !! 🙌🙌

[Standard News @standardnews]

200 bags of medical waste and coffee cups recovered from Lewisham riverbank

https://t.co/WMXLFbWnRP

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@qwag @EnvAgency @LewishamCouncil @sainsburys @MakeLeeGreen @leeforum @LeeGreenLondon @Lee_SE12 A lot of buck passing it seems between the @LewishamCouncil
And the Environment Agency apparently. Could someone please own the task of removing this?? I live at Riverside Court and have been also chasing this along with other residents nearby.

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@Sonos Sonos your App is absolutely rubbish! I wish I'd never bought Sonos.

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@SEEngHwayAlerts what is the current delay southbound on the A34 please? At a standstill. We need to get to The Trout! 🤔😉😊

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@boltapp I do not seem to have the book in advance feature. Cannot locate a calendar option. On Samsung phone if that makes a difference. Cheers

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@chilternrailway Thanks 😊

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@Se_Railway Will it be sorted by 1030pm??

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@JeremyVineOn5 your panel need to be educated about menopause. It's vital to discuss. It's not just about sweating!! Eg Lack of oestrogen and cognition! Women think they have dementia. HRT if you can take it is a game-changer. Info with Dr Louise Newson and Dr Rebecca Lewis.

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@LordNorthbrook we love this pub! 5 mins from my flat ... great atmosphere and staff. Enjoyed dinner last night and big shout out to Georgina! Always the best friendly service ... thankyou! ... fab to see you again... we'll be back!! 🙌💯🍷🍸

[Rishi Sunak @RishiSunak]

I am appalled by the execution of British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari in Iran.

This was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people. My thoughts are with Alireza’s friends and family.

[Julie Gray @julie_gray]

@dickiebush Absolutely love @hubermanlab @drchatterjeeuk, @FareedZakaria, @davidasinclair, @SteveBartlettSC, @mindpumpsal and recently discovered @PeterAttiaMD.My go-to podcasts for my long walks!! #winning! 🙌🙌