Two surprises.
Both better than expected.
It's my lucky day.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Charity
On a late rainy night back in June, I came out of a subway station and was getting into the car when a woman said something from afar. I couldn't make out what she said, but she saw that she had my attention and came closer. The woman spoke fast and her voice was shaky. She said something about someone passing away and something about her kids being taken away by police. She wanted money for a cab.
I couldn't make out the entire story, said sorry, and left. At the moment, it just seemed like a scam. Why would you ask people for money at that time/place, when there was a subway station and a shopping centre right there? It just didn't seem real.
But, for whatever reason, her shaky voice and expression keeps coming back to my mind.
A week or two ago, I came out of the subway and was walking to the bus. It was rush hour and people were moving about. As usual, there were two (separate) people sitting on the ground by the exit, asking for money. I never think much of it, because they tend to always be the same people. But today was different.
I glanced over and noticed one of the two people was a young girl, probably sixteen or seventeen at most. She held a sign, but I didn't catch what it said. I did catch her face. She looked worried and frightened.
The look on her face made me uneasy, but I continued walking to the bus.
But, for whatever reason, this thought keeps coming back to me.
Today, there was pouring rain, hail, thunder and lightening as we drove home. By chance, as we drove into our neighbourhood I noticed a woman holding a child standing in front of the garage of a house. It was clear that they were trying to shelter themselves from the rain. I convinced my driver to turn back.
At first, the woman didn't speak too much English. But she did finally understand. With that, we gave them a lift home.
Society tells us we should be good people. We should donate money, volunteer, help those that are in need. At the same time, every day, we are told of fakes, scams and fraud. The woman looking for taxi money was probably a fake. The girl at the subway station was probably looking for money for alcohol or drugs. But what if they weren't? What if something bad had really happened at that woman's house? What if that young girl got kicked out of her home and was on the streets? What if the woman and child got hit by lightening?
Where do you draw the line?
In two of three situations, I did nothing, and to a certain extent, I regret it.
In the third situation, I did something. Perhaps nobody will know and nobody will ever remember. At least, my small gesture got a little girl out of the rain.
I couldn't make out the entire story, said sorry, and left. At the moment, it just seemed like a scam. Why would you ask people for money at that time/place, when there was a subway station and a shopping centre right there? It just didn't seem real.
But, for whatever reason, her shaky voice and expression keeps coming back to my mind.
A week or two ago, I came out of the subway and was walking to the bus. It was rush hour and people were moving about. As usual, there were two (separate) people sitting on the ground by the exit, asking for money. I never think much of it, because they tend to always be the same people. But today was different.
I glanced over and noticed one of the two people was a young girl, probably sixteen or seventeen at most. She held a sign, but I didn't catch what it said. I did catch her face. She looked worried and frightened.
The look on her face made me uneasy, but I continued walking to the bus.
But, for whatever reason, this thought keeps coming back to me.
Today, there was pouring rain, hail, thunder and lightening as we drove home. By chance, as we drove into our neighbourhood I noticed a woman holding a child standing in front of the garage of a house. It was clear that they were trying to shelter themselves from the rain. I convinced my driver to turn back.
At first, the woman didn't speak too much English. But she did finally understand. With that, we gave them a lift home.
Society tells us we should be good people. We should donate money, volunteer, help those that are in need. At the same time, every day, we are told of fakes, scams and fraud. The woman looking for taxi money was probably a fake. The girl at the subway station was probably looking for money for alcohol or drugs. But what if they weren't? What if something bad had really happened at that woman's house? What if that young girl got kicked out of her home and was on the streets? What if the woman and child got hit by lightening?
Where do you draw the line?
In two of three situations, I did nothing, and to a certain extent, I regret it.
In the third situation, I did something. Perhaps nobody will know and nobody will ever remember. At least, my small gesture got a little girl out of the rain.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Mitch Albom - Tuesdays with Morrie
Probably around ten years ago, someone I respected recommended the book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". Back then, I didn't read much, but the title of the book got me interested. After reading that, I went on to read a second book by Mitch Albom, "Tuesdays with Morrie".
Ten years ago, when I read this book, I liked it. There was a lot of wisdom in there - things that made sense but I never really thought about. It was a nice read, but I didn't think much of it.
Perhaps about two months ago, I learned that there was a "Tuesdays with Morrie" play in town and it sparked my interest again. Thankfully, I found someone to go with me, because this is not something that everyone would enjoy. Of course, I re-read the book before going to the play.
The play was was good, and the two actors really impressed me. It's not easy to put on a 2.5 hour show that only has two characters, but they did it. There was never a boring moment, and a review I read even said that it was so perfect that there wasn't much to say about it.
Unfortunately, I was not quite as impressed with the play. It was a great performance, but I knew the story too well. I knew what was going to happen next. I knew what important line they were going to say. I knew that they really only included a very small portion of the book. There was no element of surprise, making the entire thing not quite as touching.
Nonetheless. It was still quite enjoyable.
Perhaps what hit me more was re-reading the book. This time around it was a very different experience. There was as lot more I could relate to, a lot more that tugged at me, a lot more that really made sense and I believed in. But, the most surprising part was not those lessons in the book, but the realization that I have already learned all those things from my real life.
Is that a good thing? Yes and no.
Yes, because they are important lessons to learn. I am lucky enough to learn them sooner rather than later. In many ways, that puts my life into perspective.
No, because learning those lessons came with a price. The quickest way to learn anything is through failure, loss, sorrow, etc. In many ways, I am still paying the price now.
It is one thing to learn those lessons and understand it. It is quite another to live it.
I've been working full-time for almost three years now. Every year, the hours get longer and the time I have for other things and other people decreases. This is only the beginning. How much "worse" is it going to get? This is life if you want a career, but I know that there are a lot of things I treasure more than a career. Yet, at this point in my life, I'm not so sure I can say no.
This part...I'm still working on...
Ten years ago, when I read this book, I liked it. There was a lot of wisdom in there - things that made sense but I never really thought about. It was a nice read, but I didn't think much of it.
Perhaps about two months ago, I learned that there was a "Tuesdays with Morrie" play in town and it sparked my interest again. Thankfully, I found someone to go with me, because this is not something that everyone would enjoy. Of course, I re-read the book before going to the play.
The play was was good, and the two actors really impressed me. It's not easy to put on a 2.5 hour show that only has two characters, but they did it. There was never a boring moment, and a review I read even said that it was so perfect that there wasn't much to say about it.
Unfortunately, I was not quite as impressed with the play. It was a great performance, but I knew the story too well. I knew what was going to happen next. I knew what important line they were going to say. I knew that they really only included a very small portion of the book. There was no element of surprise, making the entire thing not quite as touching.
Nonetheless. It was still quite enjoyable.
Perhaps what hit me more was re-reading the book. This time around it was a very different experience. There was as lot more I could relate to, a lot more that tugged at me, a lot more that really made sense and I believed in. But, the most surprising part was not those lessons in the book, but the realization that I have already learned all those things from my real life.
Is that a good thing? Yes and no.
Yes, because they are important lessons to learn. I am lucky enough to learn them sooner rather than later. In many ways, that puts my life into perspective.
No, because learning those lessons came with a price. The quickest way to learn anything is through failure, loss, sorrow, etc. In many ways, I am still paying the price now.
It is one thing to learn those lessons and understand it. It is quite another to live it.
I've been working full-time for almost three years now. Every year, the hours get longer and the time I have for other things and other people decreases. This is only the beginning. How much "worse" is it going to get? This is life if you want a career, but I know that there are a lot of things I treasure more than a career. Yet, at this point in my life, I'm not so sure I can say no.
This part...I'm still working on...
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Once upon a time...
What can be so wrong that someone would become violent to a person they (once) love(d)?
What can be so unbearable that someone would want to separate from a person they (once) love(d)?
What is there that is bad enough to make someone stop loving the person that they married?
The Taurus in me doesn't know how to stop loving someone I love(d). These questions baffle me.
It's been an eventful few days. I've heard way too much about things I don't really want to know, and we've been thrown into somebody else's mess.
In some ways, I feel sorry for both parties. In some ways, I don't feel bad for either of them. In many ways, both parties need to get their act together.
This is gonna be a long long story......
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