Yellow Ribbon Street Sale Project 2011

I participated in today's Yellow Ribbon Street Sale Project.  I was not sure how I would do but just prayed for the best.  It turned out to be a heart warming and delightful experience for me.  The last time I helped out at a Flag Day event was back in the 1970s when I was still schooling and I remembered that as most discouraging and it was something I told myself not to get involved in again.

My reporting station was at the Pasir Ris MRT Station.  I arrived slightly before noon to report for the second shift.  As I moved to the reporting area, there was a big group of volunteers from Pertapis collecting their tins and ribbons. Suddenly, I felt so alone.  Kicking myself out of that feeling, I told myself that I was there for a cause and that was most important.  As the day passed, every volunteer I saw there either arrived in groups or were from an organisation and later in the afternoon, students.  I went as an individual volunteer.  Nevertheless, all the volunteers were full of spirit and I could see they were there with a heart. 

Within the first minute of standing outside B Exit of the train station, I had my first sale.  That had me feeling really good.  I started to have a constant stream of donors.  I noticed that those approaching from the bus-stop either had purchased a ribbon from those volunteers standing along the pathway or they were not interested at all.  Most of my donors were coming out from the train station.  It was quiet in between train arrivals.  So, I decided to check out the area outside White Sands Shopping Centre.  There were already quite a few volunteers.  My area at Exit B was much better.  That became my territory.

I learned to gauge the reaction of the people as they approached and saw me standing there, smiling at them.  9 out of 10 of those I sensed would donate, did.  A few times, I decided to go against my gut feelings and approached those whom I thought would not donate.  9 out of 10 did not donate.  A lot of the donors were those above 35.  A few of them told me that they had already bought a ribbon at Tampines or earlier in the morning but they still wanted to donate a second time.  It gave me a great feeling when I saw people holding the yellow ribbon pack in their hands or had a ribbon pinned onto their shirt/blouse.  As they came nearer, I thanked them even though they had bought it from another volunteer.  After all, it did not matter whom they bought it from, we were all there for the same cause and my showing of gratitude is free and genuine.

Thank you to the wonderful people who supported the Yellow Ribbon Project by purchasing yellow ribbons from me and all my fellow volunteers. There was one gentleman who had a few plastic bags of items in both hands. He asked me to hold on to those from one of his hands so that he could get his wallet out from his pocket to make a purchase from me. That really touched me.  I also had many people donating $2 and $5. Two persons donated all the coins they had which amounted to a few dollars each as well. I approached a primary school girl who said that she did not have money.  I told her even 10cents would be appreciated.  She took her wallet out and donated more than a dollar worth of coins.  Such an angel.

All my ribbons were sold out in 2 hours. If not for my empty tummy and painful joints, I would have gone on to collect a second batch of ribbons.

The sale of yellow ribbons at various places in Singapore will go on until 7.30pm tonight. Once again, thank you all for your support and God Bless Everyone.

Learning and healing through writing

It has been a while since I last blogged.  Procrastination was one reason.  It was always "later" even when the thoughts were fresh.  The mind was not strong enough to overcome the distractions of the day.  As I sit in front of the laptop now, I find myself having so many things to document and as usual, my mind becomes too muddled up.

For those who do not know me, I am writing a book.  A book which I hope will inspire others, to remind them that there will always be obstacles in life.  Only we ourselves can choose to either remain standing in front of it or go around it.  Sometimes, it takes a longer time to go around it but eventually we will get there.

I have completed the first 4 chapters of my book.  It has been rather overwhelming, more emotional than I anticipated.  As the words flowed and the recollection of past life events surfaced, so did the deeply buried emotions.  I found that writing about one's life journey required immense inner strength and courage.  It is not something for the faint hearted. 

At this juncture, it has helped me to link my feelings and behaviour to certain incidents, how it has caused me to be withdrawn in some areas of my life.  It had affected me more than I realised.  I thought by putting the incident out of my mind, I would be fine.  Little did I know that by burying it deep within me, it was slowly eating me up.  There will be more to come as I continue to write. 

Recently, I met a local author.  He told me that writing a book such as mine will bring out a lot of emotions and not everyone is strong enough to go through with it till the end.  He did however, encourage me to continue writing, to take my time, not to rush through it, stop when I feel overwhelmed.  I understand now how he felt when he was writing his books.  At the end of the day, it is not important to have everything published.  It is about putting it down in writing, drawing out the emotions, acknowledging it and letting go.  I have started this journey and I will not stop until I complete the book. 

I started reading a book called The Quest by Mike Handcock.  As I turedn the pages, something inside of me was being stirred.  In it, it states that there are seven stages of human development and everyone who has ever lived, has operated in one of these levels. 

Excerpt from the book:

"The first level is SAFETY where a person is simply worried about their next meal and the roof over their head.  The second is THINKING which is how do I get ahead.  The third is SELF-DEFINITION which is where a person asks who am I and why am I here?  The fourth is GIVING where a person understands they are not on earth for themselves but for others.  The fifth is FLOW and this is the concept of everything that flow, like the seasons.  It is the Universal law of attraction that one is "in the flow".  The sixth is CONSCIOUSNESS where we understand that we are all connected in thought.  Throwing a gum wrapper on a street in Vietnam, could have impact here in New Zealand.  The seventh is SOURCE where it is where we are totally connected to source energy.  "

As I read the above, I thought about my life journey and what I had been through.  I had passed the first and second level.  Right at this moment, you can say that I am in between three and four.  I have always been a giving person but never really understood who I am or why I am here.  Am I believing in what is written in a book not knowing if it is a fiction or a non-fiction?.  It is irrelevant.  All I know is that it makes sense to me.  I wonder what else I will discover about myself through reading the rest of the book. 

I always believe that everything happens for a reason.  What has led me to write this book and what my book will do for others, is a reason in itself why I went through those dark stages of my life.  If I had not walked those paths of the past, I would have nothing to write about, at least nothing that could inspire anyone in the way I want it to.  Life is a never-ending journey.  My adventures do not stop here nor will it be smooth.  Riding a bike over a bumpy road is never easy but when one adds in an attitude of making lemonade when life gives you a lemon, then it becomes an adventure rather than a torture. 

Better check on my spaghetti sauce stewing in the pot.  Tomorrow is another day of fun for me.  I am helping out at the Yellow Ribbon Street Sale, in aid of ex-offenders.  My little way of giving and supporting others.