Ray of Sunshine

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. There was an invitation to attend a virtual session "Sunday Afternoon Tea with Boon Keng- How I adapted to my new normal!" from an association called MDAS (Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore). I have been associated with MDAS for some time for voluntary work and have been very impressed by the work they do in following their mission which is- "To maximise the quality of life of people with Muscular Dystrophy and their families, to integrate them into society and support research towards a cure."

It was a zoom call at 3:15 pm on a Sunday last month. I was wondering, if I should come out of my inertia and finally, curiosity got the better of me and I attended the session.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 45 minutes spent with Boon Keng opened my eyes to a different reality. I went on to attended another session the following Sunday.Some of the things that he shared about his experience in coping with COVID-19, while being wheel chair bound (he has Muscular Dystrophy), are so relevant to all of us, even in normal times. I will try to capture some of the thoughts he shared here, as they did have a deep impact on me at various levels:

1) Be thankful, show gratitude for what you have

2) Pause and pace yourself

3) Sometimes, it's ok to be bored

4) Observe people and nature, if you have the opportunity

5) Take time to recharge

6) Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings and then find a way to deal with them

7) Remember that this too shall pass

8) Focus on deep breathing

9) Remember, you are a work in progress

10) More importantly, keep trying

It's not that we don't know these things and concepts, but how many of us actually follow them. In the day-to-day life, we sometimes lose focus of what is really important to us and what makes us happy. What was amazing in the session was the way, Boon Keng connected this to how he makes his day-to-day life interesting and keep himself motivated in these tough times. For me, he is a true role model and a warm ray of sunshine, who really knows how to convert adversity into opportunities.

We need multiple clones of Boon Keng, in this world, to spread the positivity around, to warm our hearts with there positive energy, especially during these times.