I've had a rough week. I'm laid up still...or again...or something like that, from my hamstring injury. I have finally exiled myself to our apartment in the hope that staying on flat even surfaces will prevent me from reinjuring it. I am staying inside because there don't seem to be any flat even surfaces outside.
Laying here in the couch, feeling sorry for myself, I am reminded of a song I learned as a child, especially appropriate for wallowing in self pity. It begins "No body likes me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna eat a worm" and goes on to describe the kind of worm you should eat, and even how it should be prepared. It's a silly little song, possibly intended to make one realize just how silly wallowing in self pity really is. Anyway, thinking about the song got me thinking about other things, like the fact that it is in fact, completely inaccurate, as I am surrounded by kind and loving people who care about me. It's comforting, isn't it; knowing that we are loved and cared for?
This train of thought then led me to another which cheered me up immensely. It got me thinking about the kindness of strangers and in particular, the kindness of the people I have encountered here in Bangladesh. Not just the locals, but other nationalities as well, which, I promise, is bringing me in a very round about way to the point that I am really trying to make.
One of the first things I noticed when we arrived in Bangladesh is the completely genuine and earnest care and concern for others. When we decided to buy a digital piano, I went to a music store in search of just the right one. I found a great one and was ready to buy it right there on the spot but was informed that I would need to pay cash. As I didn't have 200,000 taka laying around in my purse, I left to figure out how to procure said cash.
It took a few days pulling maximum withdrawals of cash on two cards in order to acquire the needed funds and it was during this time that I injured my leg. Getting into a rickshaw was not an option at that point and we didn't have a car yet so I called the music store manager and asked if they would be willing to deliver the piano and I would pay them when they arrived. Initially he apologized and said that I would need to come into the store and pay first but once I explained my injury, he graciously agreed to bring the keyboard to me and receive payment when they delivered the piano.
When they got to the house, he expressed such sincere concern for my injury that I was a little caught off guard. He asked questions and expressed his desire that I would heal quickly and then he told me that he would be praying for my speedy recovery. I was touched and surprised and felt quite certain that I would, in fact, be in his prayers. Now, I'm not trying to make a blanket indictment against America. I love America, but we have become so paranoid about being politically correct and so worried about offending that I think a lot of people would refrain from such a gesture in a business environment.
As days have turned into weeks of struggling with this injury, I have experienced this warmth and concern repeatedly. I have been told I would be in people's thoughts, that they would pray that God heals me, that they would pray to Allah on my behalf. They have expressed their hope for my healing via whatever belief system they hold and no one has been worried about whether we worship they same way, or worship at all. They have simply shown me that they care.
A couple of weeks after my piano was delivered, I received a call from the music store manager. I was surprised to find that he had called for no other reason than to inquire after my health. In many stores, as soon as they see my cane someone will rush foreword with a stool for me to sit on, even in line at the grocery store. I have noticed this amongst the varied nationalities of the members of the choir that I am in. I am comforted by the warmth and care that I have encountered and by the number of times people have told me I would be in their prayers, often complete strangers.
What is my point? I'm not sure I have a really specific one. The point might just be that I've been taking a lot of pain medicine and I'm getting a little maudlin, but in my emotional and medicated state, I guess I am just trying to suggest that maybe we could all stop worrying about our differences, about how we look or sound to others, about who we pray to and whether we believe in the same way and just appeciate that in this sometimes tough and prickly world, any kindness and any prayers or positive feelings no matter who they are directed to are welcome and make life a little nicer.
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