Sunday 30 June 2013
I had and still admires the interpersonal skill of Irene. She blends in with those she knows and does not know very easily. She is friendly and kind but cautious towards those she is not familiar with. With friends and family members she is loving and kind. The common attribute towards those she knows and those she is getting to know is “Kindness”.
Kindness
is an action. It is seen in the behavior of rendering favors and good deeds for
those whom you know and do not know. It could be helping others in small
ways that gives them a sense of being acknowledged.
At last
Wednesday choir practice session, she came to know that the nephew of one of the
choir members was hospitalized for inflammation of the liver. The boy is ten
years of age and is being looked after by the grandma since the death of his
mother a year ago.
On
Saturday afternoon Irene request to be driven to the hospital. She wants to
visit him eventhough the only information she has about this boy is his surname
and age. Off we went and upon arrival at the hospital, she resolutely went to enquire on the whereabouts (ward
and bed number) of this boy from the main information desk, the guards, the
nurses, and the emergency help desk. After some running around, she got the information she need, i.e.
the office block and ward number in which “Ah Onn” – the name of the boy - is
in.
Accompanying
Irene was a lesson for me. In my mind I was giving her support but grudgingly
with the arrogance of pre assumption “I know you are kind, but aren’t you
taking kindness a little too far. Are you not over using your strength of
kindness?” Afterall you do not know this boy, you do not know his full name,
you do not know which ward he is in.” These doubts crossed my mind.
Upon
arriving in the room where Ah Onn was staying, Irene introduced herself to a man
and a lady who were with the Ah Onn. They were Ah Onn grandpa and grandma. They
were surprised that a friend of their relative could come and visit their
grandson.
Irene
seek their permission to hand some dried grapes and a book for Ah Onn. Irene
just chat with them. She accompanied them downstairs for a walk when Ah Onn
said he wanted to get some sunlight and fresh air.
In
all Irene probably spent some twenty minutes with them. In my opinion, Irene
did a random act of kindness. An action that brought a moment of relief to the
grand parents. They were shown that there are people who cares. Also during the
short duration of twenty minutes, they were doing something different from
their usual routine – talking to a friend they do not know. It is a short break
where they are engaged in communication with a friend who cares. An interruption from our usual routine can help in lowering our stress level.
I
asked Irene on our way home “what makes you want to visit Ah Onn?”. She replied
that this idea had been on her mind for two days and she felt she should visit him.
This
is Irene. She had the characteristic humanistic virtue and she expressed it
out with random acts of kindness. Today at church she reactively supported a
chair to ensure an old lady would not fall when she sits on it.
"From what we get, we can make a living. What we give, however, makes a life." ~Arthur Ashe
Questions for reflection:1. What random acts of kindness can I engaged in daily?
2. If I were to look for opportunties within my daily activities to perform some acts of random kindness, what would they be?
Cheers.
Hope to see you soon.
Hope to see you soon.
Papa Coaching
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