Day 58: give a care package to someone who needs it - my grandmother and I were on the way to one of her appointments, and we saw a man on the side of the interstate with a sign asking for a bit of extra help. So I reached into the backseat and pulled out one of the care bags that I made a while ago and were just waiting for someone who really needed them. Lesson 58 - Although it took nearly nothing, hardly any effort on our part at all, the individual who received the care package greeted us with the following words, "I appreciate you. God bless you." We would have missed the opportunity to be blessed with this kind of an interaction had we looked straight ahead, through an individual, as we so often do in our busy days, weeks, and months. Day 59: let someone go in front of me in the grocery store - although this gesture is simple, it met the criteria of a rejection therapy project as it was something that I would not normally do and required effort on my part in patience and giving, as I would have rather just taken the cue that I received from the cashier that a new lane was opening and gone about my merry way. Lesson 59 - blessings sometimes come in the form of rain; I really did not feel like letting the individual go in front of me; however, once I did, I was compelled to offer the individual behind her who only had a couple of items the same courtesy, and he turned it around and extended the courtesy to me instead! Day 60: translate for someone in Spanish - although this technically does not meet my rejection therapy project criteria, as I would have done it anyway, I am desperate for new material and am taking what I can get. Lesson 60 - the individual who came into my grandmother's doctor's office searching for someone who spoke Spanish to direct her to the pharmacy in the same building was extremely appreciative to have someone to help her, and I felt as if the roles were reversed from so many times that someone helped me in Bolivia through charades, a smile, or a helpful nudge in the right direction.
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Day 55 - offer someone a free drink: For the first time ever, I was turned down at a Starbuck's from being able to buy a drink for someone else. I was inside, and at both the counter and the drive thru, I was told that I could not buy a drink for anyone because there was no one for whom to buy. Lesson #55: As we have been learning in hot yoga instructor training, sometimes being available for someone is much better than offering help that they are not ready to receive. We are reading the book, The Yamas and Niyamas in my yoga teacher training, and the first chapter speaks to ahimsa, or nonviolence, and even asserts that offering help could be a form of violence if it is not sought at the time. Day 56 - give balloons to everyone on my grandmother's hospital floor: I tried on one day to ask the gift shop to put helium in the balloons and learned that to put helium in twelve balloons times the amount it would cost per balloon was outside of my current budget, so I proceeded back to her hospital room and confirmed what I had when she was in intensive care - that blowing up a balloon with my own resources would allow it to be used in a game of pass the balloon; however, it would not be sufficient for allowing them to float so that other patients who may not be as cognizant would be able to see them in their rooms. The next day, I asked my mom if she would be willing to go half on the helium for the balloons and she agreed and we proceeded to pay for them before the gift shop attendant remembered to ask what type of balloons we had and confirm that those would not work with the helium. Lesson #56: Do what you can, when you can, with everything you have. Although I did not have the resources at the time to pull off the balloon random act of kindness, it is a good idea for another day! Day 57 - buy food for the hungry: I encountered a gentleman outside of the pharmacy when I went to pick up something for my grandmother and when I asked him if he needed anything, he replied that he hadn't eaten yet today. So I asked him what he would like and together we formed a plan that would bring him the nourishment he needed while allowing me to make a cost effective purchase. When I returned with his happy meal, I also asked him if he would like any fruit, as I had just gone to the grocery store and had opted for the less healthy choices based on my lack of knowledge of what would be available. He confirmed that he could eat an orange and I exchanged this with him for the toy that came with the meal. Day #57: Sometimes it is about listening to what others tell us they need instead of giving them what we think would be best for them! Day 52 - buy coffee for someone on Easter: I actually missed a day in the last series, and then remembered after the fact that I bought coffee for the person behind me on Easter Sunday, thankful for both the fact that I had something hot to drink on a cold day, and much more importantly that El ha resucitado...Jesus has risen!
Lesson #52: I am not sure whether I will keep up with my coffee fast now that lent is over, but I did order a chai tea and pay for the drinks for more than one person behind me...which was a blessing on both counts. Day 53 - contact Jake Nawrocki once more: I promised myself that if I waited until I was halfway through with my rejection therapy series, that I could contact Jake (from Operation Self Reset) again and see if he was interested in collaborating with me on some special projects. Lesson #53: At this point, it doesn't matter whether he interviews me or not for my rejection therapy project, because it is no longer about me. I am, however, hopeful that he will respond positively to a couple of rejection therapy ideas I have for how we can collaborate to advance a nonprofit with whom I am working, and that I can help him with some information about how to help survivors of trauma. Day 54 - help someone at the grocery store: I got into a conversation about papaya, and while I didn't initially think of it as a rejection therapy project, it met the criteria of something I wouldn't normally do as well as the other three criteria. Plus, I did 600 calories on the treadmill today and I was pretty tired.... Lesson # 54: When you help someone who you normally wouldn't, you end up having the most interesting conversations...and find appreciation in ways unexpected. Although I initially hesitated to say anything, she ended up being very interested in my advice and thanked for me the help. The reason I said something is because she was talking about how big a papaya was that could potentially fit in the palm of your hand, so I commented about how big papayas are in Bolivia, and we ended up discussing how to solve her digestion issues with papaya seeds! |
AuthorValerie Ellis, who is in alignment with the Black Lives Matter Movement and everyone whose life is impacted, now or before, by times of social injustice. Archives
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