The days’ events can be pretty tiring. The news over local television is all about COVID, falling GDP, and the military. We see the same faces over our screen all the time. There must be such a thing as face fatigue and some of us have reached it.
Foreign news does not give us much relief either. I used to watch CNN news and commentaries all the time but now; they have become clichés-COVID, the impeachment trial, and the rift between political parties.
Local and foreign entertainment does not provide a respite. We can only have so much of singing contests and interviews of rising stars. Cable TV runs the same movies over and over again. I must have watched Ms. Congeniality for the nth time. I guess they are running on a hairline budget with stiff competition from Netflix.
I have stopped reading for a while, to my big disadvantage. I wanted a break from reading studies and news from the computer.
So, I was feeling beat the last few days—physically and emotionally exhausted. It does not help to be cooped up for the last several months. Zoom meetings are a very poor substitute for meeting colleagues and friends. We are missing one of the best prescriptions for feeling secure and loved. Who was it who said that we need to be hugged 8 times a day?
And so it was that I walked to the elevator of our building with downcast eyes and feeling dull. And then a passenger spoke and asked me if I were still writing my columns. I felt flustered because I knew only my editor read what I wrote. I had to blink my eyes in disbelief as I asked if he knew me even if my face were fully covered with mask and face shield. And his answer felt like magic. “I can recognize you. I like your style in writing and you need to continue.” My heart jumped out of my chest. The stranger, whom I now describe as an angel sent by God, made my day. I still carry that smile over my face and I walk with lighter gait. And when I feel low, I will sing like Julie Andrews and recount the encounter I had with my angel.
That short encounter gave me a lesson. He gave me joy and I must learn to share joy with others. There are many like me who must be feeling disheartened not just because of isolation, but by fear and anxiety. There are those in worse situations—losing a loved one, falling revenues, closure of operations and suspension of activities. We felt a great tinge of sadness in seeing Shangri-La Hotel go, and restaurants and coffee shops that gave us great memories . We hope that they will re-open in the very near future.
Hope and joy are great gifts. And they can be given with conscious efforts even virtually. I have resolved to practice positive reinforcement more often. Whereas I used to be upset over studies that fall below my standards, I will do my best to become more positive. Instead of writing that I could hardly understand what they wrote, I will ask, “Can you help me understand the figures you sent?” And then, I will end it with a gracious thank you recognizing his/her efforts.
UNICEF is a great example of how we can make others feel good. Perhaps its officers have been conditioned to be encouraging and nurturing. They always see and reinforce the good that we have done instead of focusing on gaps and weaknesses. The positive stimulus encourages a positive response and we are inspired to do better.
Christmas is 11 months away, but we can be a source of Christmas joy every day.