I would like to share this article from "The Star".
Sunday April 7, 2013
Go on, give someone a break
Sunday Starters by SOO EWE JIN
WE all agree that everyone needs a break once in a while. Well, maybe not the politicians who are pulling out all the stops now that the 13th general election is off and running.
A couple of years back, a dear friend felt that my wife and I needed a break. So she quietly arranged for us a three-day two-night stay at a resort in Pulau Langkawi.
She sent us the voucher and made us promise to go. It was her gift of “rest and relaxation” to one of her “favourite couples”, as she put it in her card. We had such a lovely time there.
I came across a recent article by Ann Carrns in the New York Times titled “A Random Gift of Coffee Makes My Day”, in which she wrote about how a stranger’s random act of kindness in paying for her coffee made her irrationally happy.
Her article had a link to the Random Acts of Kindness website and when I clicked on it, the “Idea for the Day” was about “giving someone a vacation”.
The basic premise is that people who are less stressed are healthier, happier and more productive. So giving someone a vacation is a wonderful act of kindness that will not only benefit them but yourself as well.
Well, I am not sure if my friend had given others a free vacation, but I reckon that all of us can actually give someone a break and it need not be an expensive gesture.
Giving someone a break is not about big money. It is principally about being sensitive to the needs of the people around us.
Off hand, I can think of so many people in our lives who deserve a chance to get away to recharge.
Have you ever visited a centre for children with disabilities and seen how dedicated the teachers are? Do you wonder if they even have the time to take a short vacation?
And what about those who are the principal caregivers of elderly parents or family members afflicted by some form of long-term illness like cancer, stroke or Alzheimer’s?
In your workplace, do you ever wonder if the office boy, married with children, can even afford a vacation in a nearby holiday spot?
It’s something to think about the next time you are about to board the plane for your regular overseas stints in Paris or New York.
I have a friend who, after he has had his breakfast at a coffeeshop, will tar-pau a packet of coffee or teh tarik to pass on to the first casual worker he meets. That person could be the road sweeper, the garbage collector or even the police constable.
Another friend randomly pays the toll for the person after him. He does not make a distinction between the person driving a small car or a luxury model as he believes his random act of kindness will have an impact on the person, no matter what his station in life.
I find that rather than simply suggesting to a person that he or she needs a break, we need to be proactive. Like my friend who sent us the holiday voucher, we could buy a ticket to a concert or a play and quietly mail it to that special person. We can even do that anonymously.
The blessings that we pass on, through such random acts of kindness, can truly make this person’s day – and ours.
> Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin {ewejin [at] thestar.com.my} applauds the 94-year-old grandmother planning to stand again in Kuala Terengganu but wonders if she has enough friends to help her pay the RM30,000 deposit.
