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choosing life
Oct. 24th, 2010 08:53 pmI have this warm glow in my chest.
I realized that some aspects of my life were signs of how close I am to giving up on something. But life surprises us sometimes.
--
A large part of my morning was spent with Jac, Reza, and Javi at an institution for underprivileged children run by nuns. It was more of an exploratory visit towards setting up the community service aspect of our book club. :) Based on our experience today, I think we will probably have to change our outreach plans a little... Most of the kids at the orphanage are special children; either born differently-abled or haven't reached their full potential because of neglect. Most of them can't form words and there aren't enough nuns or visitors for them to really get the attention I think they need. The kids need mental stimulation, but a reading program might not be the most appropriate way to help them at this point. I think jac is right - picture books should be fine, and I think coloring books and perhaps other like activity books may be something they'd be interested in and learn from.
We arrived too late for their play time and just caught the tail-end of lunch time. We'll go back earlier next time. I might go back next week. I want to see the kids again, and also prove to the nuns that we were serious in our desire to help.
The book I'm currently reading is 'The Furies' by Janet Hobhouse. It's told in the first person, from the point of view of a woman who grew up surrounded by the strange, dysfunctional women of her family and who developed strange, dysfunctional relationships with all of them. This girl was poor growing up. Not dirt poor, not like the children we spent time with today, but poor enough to suffer.
Here's an excerpt where she describes an afternoon in which a well-off classmate visited her at home:
'I'm just going to get something from my room,' I said, opening the closet, squeezing narrowly past the door, and pulling it tightly behind me. I simply willed her to believe that the door behind which I was standing and holding very still was the door of a corridor, off which were who knows how many rooms, perhaps not only a child's room, but a mother's room, perhaps a guest room and a maid's room, and in these rooms which I wished her to imagine there were all the things she took for granted: a television, phonograph, books, pictures, rugs, mirrors, possessions strewn and possessions straightened, a whole second apartment here behind my mother's raincoat and shoeboxes and slender, dangling wardrobe."
I looked around my room after reading that paragraph, and I saw everything she described, everything I myself often take for granted. And I thought I would be blessed if I only remember not to take anything I have for granted. Everything is a blessing, everything is a gift.
I am grateful, but sometimes I forget. Today was a good reminder. We all need little reminders once in a while.
--
I should be working on my final thesis presentation but I'm SLEEPY. :/
--
I had a nice surprise today. :)
Oh, and Ms. Tin (my trainer) and I were able to convince my parents to sign up at the gym. I hope they establish a regular exercise routine. :)
I realized that some aspects of my life were signs of how close I am to giving up on something. But life surprises us sometimes.
--
A large part of my morning was spent with Jac, Reza, and Javi at an institution for underprivileged children run by nuns. It was more of an exploratory visit towards setting up the community service aspect of our book club. :) Based on our experience today, I think we will probably have to change our outreach plans a little... Most of the kids at the orphanage are special children; either born differently-abled or haven't reached their full potential because of neglect. Most of them can't form words and there aren't enough nuns or visitors for them to really get the attention I think they need. The kids need mental stimulation, but a reading program might not be the most appropriate way to help them at this point. I think jac is right - picture books should be fine, and I think coloring books and perhaps other like activity books may be something they'd be interested in and learn from.
We arrived too late for their play time and just caught the tail-end of lunch time. We'll go back earlier next time. I might go back next week. I want to see the kids again, and also prove to the nuns that we were serious in our desire to help.
The book I'm currently reading is 'The Furies' by Janet Hobhouse. It's told in the first person, from the point of view of a woman who grew up surrounded by the strange, dysfunctional women of her family and who developed strange, dysfunctional relationships with all of them. This girl was poor growing up. Not dirt poor, not like the children we spent time with today, but poor enough to suffer.
Here's an excerpt where she describes an afternoon in which a well-off classmate visited her at home:
'I'm just going to get something from my room,' I said, opening the closet, squeezing narrowly past the door, and pulling it tightly behind me. I simply willed her to believe that the door behind which I was standing and holding very still was the door of a corridor, off which were who knows how many rooms, perhaps not only a child's room, but a mother's room, perhaps a guest room and a maid's room, and in these rooms which I wished her to imagine there were all the things she took for granted: a television, phonograph, books, pictures, rugs, mirrors, possessions strewn and possessions straightened, a whole second apartment here behind my mother's raincoat and shoeboxes and slender, dangling wardrobe."
I looked around my room after reading that paragraph, and I saw everything she described, everything I myself often take for granted. And I thought I would be blessed if I only remember not to take anything I have for granted. Everything is a blessing, everything is a gift.
I am grateful, but sometimes I forget. Today was a good reminder. We all need little reminders once in a while.
--
I should be working on my final thesis presentation but I'm SLEEPY. :/
--
I had a nice surprise today. :)
Oh, and Ms. Tin (my trainer) and I were able to convince my parents to sign up at the gym. I hope they establish a regular exercise routine. :)
