Six Eggs

Hi Readers,

Yes, I hear you already, "What is this bloke on???"

What on earth could prompt him to write about 6 Eggs ???

Bear with me while I explain the background and context to this post, and I hope you get where I am coming from.

I'll admit from the start that the examples I reference are a bit indulgent, but they need to be for authenticity and to hopefully get my message across more clearly. I wouldn't be able to do this if I didn't have first hand examples to relate to.

Get my drift?

I am currently reading this book by Hugh Van Cuylenburg, and to borrow a cliche, it's a book that "I just can't put down"

I only read a few pages a day as I like to reflect on what I have read. Often the main points make even greater sense to me a day later after I have mulled over them for a while. 

Sometimes I have similar experiences to Hugh that I can remember from times in the past, or even currently.

You might be thinking that it's a bit strange to read a book this way, as it is a book that could easily be read in a day or two.

I just like prolonging the enjoyment of what I am reading.

The same applies with Neale Daniher's book which is still in the finishing stages.

What I particularly love about the book written by Hugh is that he doesn't need to be inspired or touched by people and experiences that he sees online, or reads about in other books. He talks about everyday happenings and encounters that he has had with everyday people.

Could that be what stops so many of us from being inspired by others?

Do we feel that we can only be influenced by famous and well known people and events, rather than the people and experiences in our day to day lives?

Are we frustrated at not finding inspiration online or on tv, when it might be actually staring us in the face?

I know in my last post I am guilty of this, and happily so.

I continue to be inspired by the story of Dick Hoyt, and this story is known world wide.

But what I want to focus on today are the experiences that only I know about, and hopefully encourage you, my readers to try the same.

What happens in your daily lives that you would generally forget, when in reality they make an actual difference to you and others ? (Hopefully a positive or enjoyable difference !!)

Hugh talks about speaking to various NRL Rugby teams, and I won't give away what he explains (so now you'll just have to read his book !) and the responses that he felt he was getting from them at different times.

So often, what we perceive, and what is reality can be poles apart, and Hugh discusses this and shares his experiences so well.

His story about Martin Kennedy couldn't demonstrate this any better.

The book is filled with similar accounts of people he has dealt with over time, some well known, but most are just your average person from his daily life.

How more authentic could this be?

I've had similar experiences in recent years when I was presenting some workshops at a Maths Conference in Melbourne. I was lucky enough to get a full room to my workshop on the first day, and at the start there was me up the front facing about 80 faces, all with the "This better be good" look on their face ! 😬

Just like the Michael Kennedy scenario, I couldn't tell if my session was going down well or not, but this was soon put to rest that night when I received a lot of emails saying how much they enjoyed it, Phew !😅

The next day I even had a few people who attended the session come up to me and thank me, and that they had told others to come to my session that day. They didn't need to do that, but it made my day.

So, let's get to the point of this post. As usual, I digress !!😖

After being inspired by Hugh and the way he acknowledges and recognises people in his everyday experiences, I began to look back on my days and try to see where similar things have happened with me, either intentionally or unintentionally.

By this I mean that I have to choose to make some of these things happen by the way that I consciously choose to interact with people.

In a previous post ( Yep, blatant self plug again !!) I mentioned that if we choose to do these things consistently, they become more than a habit, they become part of who we are.

Over time, we don't really have to make an effort to do them, they occur naturally.

I hope I am becoming better at this.

So here are a few examples that I can recall from recent days that I have been involved in that might explain my thoughts a bit more clearly.

6 Eggs:

Where I am staying at the moment is an establishment that caters for people from the country or interstate who need accommodation that is close to the hospital while a family member is receiving treatment. We have only a short distance to the hospital, which makes a challenging time just that much more bearable.

We do not have much contact with each other as we are all basically isolating in order to keep our family members away from any sort of infection risk. In these COVID times they are even more vulnerable than most of us.

As I was waiting for the lift in the foyer last week, I was checking the various piles of mail to gather what was ours. Next to the mail were a few six packs of farm fresh eggs, with a note saying "Please take one" and explaining that this lady's husband brought them down from their home in Ballarat to share with the other residents.

How generous and thoughtful was that!

Here is this couple trying their best to care for their son who is unwell, and they still take time to consider the other families here. They would not know who would have taken the eggs, but I bet they would know how it made them feel. As I have got to know them I am not surprised by their actions, and I'm sure they wouldn't have done it to receive thanks or praise.

It was empathy at its simple best. They know what others are enduring, and little actions such as this may seem so trivial, but count for so much. Just that knowing that someone is looking out for you is so special.

I'm sure that any of the other families who came back from hospital that day and saw a packet of eggs for them would have been just as touched as I was.

It does make one start to think "What can I do for others?"

The Pharmacist

At the hospital each visit I need to visit the Pharmacy and collect the next round of tablets etc.

It is one of the busiest places with so many people working there and constant queues.

Yesterday we were there until late, and by the time I had to collect the prescription it was nearly closing time. I handed over my ticket and the pharmacist was polite and quick in sorting it out, but I could see that he was a tad flustered also. He asked me a number of questions about the various medicines, most of which I just shrugged my shoulders to as they weren't for me. He was so patient, and as it was soon organised, I took them and said 'thanks' , then  "I hope you've had a good day".

As busy as he was, he stopped and smiled back at me and gave the warmest "Thank You" just for that comment.

He then said "I'll know it's a good day when I leave here soon"

We then had a quick chat and he said the comment I gave was just what he needed at the time as so many customers had been abusive towards him and other staff if their prescriptions weren't prepared quickly enough. He said it was not often that he was given a compliment, people just grabbed their things and left in a hurry.

I also understand why people may be abrupt here as they are most likely in situations where they are dealing with serious issues in their lives. He said they probably don't realise they are doing it most of the time, so he feigns frustration and remains as calm as he can, but it still hurts him at times.

So just by saying "I hope you've had a good day" cheered him up just that little bit, even if he hadn't. Hopefully he went home in a good frame of mind, and maybe even said the same thing to someone else.

It just felt good putting a smile on his face and showing him that people do value him and his work.

Earlier in the day when I was dropping off a number of complex scripts, the lady who served me was similarly patient, albeit a tad flustered too as they were so busy.

As I left, I casually said to her "Everyone here treats us so nicely, especially when the scripts are lengthy"

She stopped what she was doing, took her hands off the computer keyboard, smiled at me and gave the warmest "Thank You"

It only took a moment to say it (and I meant it) but this 10 second interaction could just be the difference between a good day and a bad day.

The Lift

At the hospital, everyone appears to be in a hurry, and I get that.

The lifts are in banks of about 5, and each has a letter of the alphabet above it.

If I want to go to Level 3, I use the touchpad and press 3. A recorded voice then says which lift is going to Level 3 next. Takes only a few short moments.

Yesterday I was in a bit of a rush to go from the level I was on to the level a few floors down where the pharmacy was. As it was nearly closing time for the pharmacy, I was in a bit of a rush.

I used the touchpad, pressed for L.2 and a voice said "LIft Q"

I dutifully walked over to the lift and just as the doors were closing I heard the touchpad outside say "Lift Q" in response to another person requesting to go to the same level.

For a split second I thought about letting the already closing doors shut and send me down to the next floor, but just as quickly I put my arm into the door space to hold them open.

Next second, an older lady who was puffing a bit jumped in the lift with me and thanked me profusely for holding the lift for her. We even had a quick pleasant chat in the lift.

Immediately I had a rush of the guilts as my first reaction was to just let the doors close so I could get to the pharmacy more quickly.

We both got off at the same floor, and, as it tuned out, both were going to the pharmacy.

As she was being served by someone at the same time as me, I could tell by her tone that she was very anxious and in a rush.

The pharmacist said that her prescription would take a while, to which the lady replied ( very politely mind you ) "Is there any way it can be done as quickly as possible as I need to catch a bus and it's a 2 hour trip to get home?"

Thankfully they said it would not be a problem, she got what she need and shuffled off.

How bad did I feel now!!!

Just a few moments earlier I was prepared to let this person wait for another lift, at a time when she was desperately trying to get home. I wasn't to know this, but it was a powerful lesson.

Waiting for the next lift might have only added 1 minute to her wait, but to me it felt like I had nearly cost her an hour. 

Her gratitude towards me for saving her just that little bit of time hit home so strongly.

If I was in her shoes I'd be annoyed at just missing the lift, but I was prepared to do it to her, even though I had a last minute change of heart.

I still feel bad about it, but if anything, I don't think I'll be letting the next lift door shut without checking if someone else needs it too.

Well Readers,

Today's stories just go to show that we learn so much from the positive things we try and do for others, but also how the opposite applies also. It’s not hard to sit back and look through our day and identify the times that we have made a difference to others and vice versa, both positive and negative. Trust me, it’s quite rewarding!

I get the good vibes when I feel I have helped someone else, and hopefully the negative vibes I got from my lift experience can be kick in the bum I needed at that time to be more aware of the needs of others.

The last few posts have been inspired by Hugh Van Cuylenburg, but I'm thinking of sharing some football stories in my next post. I have quite few funny and not so funny examples to share!!

Until my next post...

Cheers 😀