Extraordinary people

I found something to look forward to every Sunday morning:

Dr Lee Wei Ling's column on the ST.

Her stories are often inspirational and candid. She shares about the ordinary yet extraordinary people around her, as well as her own life lessons. I feel like I get a full dose of "soul food" every time I read her article, and I do a bit of much needed self-reflection.

Now, I find that I let things slide more easily -- Things that used to upset me the whole day no longer bother me for long anymore. (Or perhaps my skin has gotten thicker over the years?) Moving on is easier now. And I try not to focus on my problems and indulge in self-pity (although I admit I still do at times). I try not to complain/bitch/gossip nowadays, or find someone to blame when things go wrong.

These are made easier as I have people around me with positive vibes.

***

Just this week, I have met some people who were an inspiration to me. The first was through TPL, who came to know this lady from China living in SG. She is recently widowed, and has to take care of three young kids, the oldest being ten years old. Her husband died of cancer. It was all quite sudden.

TPL and some friends have volunteered to paint her house the next day, so the both of us went to buy some paint. We brought the paint to the lady's house at about 10pm. She was just about to leave for work. She works night shift at a factory, just so that she can spend the day looking after her kids. Her oldest girl is still awake, and greets us with a big smile. It is hard to imagine that this girl has just lost her father.

The lady invited us in, ran into the room, and came out with two cans of drinks. We refused, but she insisted. I am touched that someone in such an unfortunate situation as her can still have such a generous spirit. We left her house with her and walked to the MRT together while we chatted. She only had questions for us, and asked us how we were, never once complaining about the hardships she is facing.

***

The second was a couple. The husband has had a kideney transplant, and has glaucoma in his right eye. Because he can't see that well, his wife takes care of him and his medications, which includes six eyedrops. When I went to their house, the wife had all the medications laid out on the table. She has already painstakingly wrote all the instructions in Mandarin on each bottle of eyedrop, just to make sure she gets it right. She paid close attention to what I had to tell her, and at one point of time went to her room to take out a notebook to jot down what I was saying. She acknowledged that each of the eyedrops have to be administered five minutes apart, and doesn't utter a word of complaint at this time-consuming task. They offered me a drink as I was about to leave. I thank them for the kind gesture, but I have already taken enough of their time. I never seriously thought about the words "in sickness and in health" when I recited my vows, but I think I have seen a prime example that day.