“If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page” is one of Mark Houlahan’s quotes. This Senior Lecturer in the English Program in the School of Arts teaches Shakespeare and his Contemporaries, and Literary Theory at the University of Waikato, NZ. I love reading, and I know that every new page is a new side of story by itself.
A new part of a journey is always a challenge and chance at their both sides. Challenge is to cope with the new atmosphere, the new circle of people you will meet and greet, and a new culture to sink yourself in. A chance meaning more than an opportunity; it’s a time when you are given a choice to digest or to throw up, to accept or to let go.
That’s what I have in my heart when two months ago I was handed over this new part of work which I am not ever dreaming of. A work that needs my personal observation, attention and touch for the sake of believing.
It’s a work to help patient families who are in need of a special transport to take their loved ones to a destination they meant to be. It’s a facility to assist anyone who need transportation to save one’s life. And it’s a job I think is quite a demanding as today there are many people out there wanting such transport.
One rewarding moment was when my team had to transport a 7 day old baby due to a serious complication. It takes some time for the family members to make a decision whether or not they take a private jet to transport the loving baby. When it comes to a life saving action, there’s always a sense of urgency and emergency colliding into one. We all relieved when 3 days later the surgery went well. A new initiative was made as I joined in. One of them is that we are to provide special gift to any evacuates. For this baby, within 6 days after the evacuation day, when I gave our Thank You certificate to the baby’s mother, I can vividly saw thin layer of teas on her eyes, amazed at how beautiful her baby’s name is crafted in the certificate.
I don’t know you, but to me the moment was something you can’t pay with anything else but a feeling of satisfaction. I thanked my team, my pilot, and the driver who was in the crew when the baby was evacuated.
I thank God for the chance to give a hand to a family in need for an evacuation.
With this new page and new chapter of my work, I believe that there’s more surprising satisfaction to come. Every single day is, indeed, too sweet to let go.
Jakarta, end of September 2010
