Helping Hands

I had a disaster start at work yesterday. At the morning academic meeting, I reacted ungraciously to not being appreciative of an effort taken to enable parents to be more informed about the developmental challenges in children! I felt awful following my avoidable comments. I do not think that I recovered from a sense of guilt and disappointment with myself during most of the day. 

This happened in the backdrop of a message I received from a sunbird who bathed in little water found on a banana leaf! I wrote about this experience of 'Little is good enough' on this blog a few days ago! I felt that I communicated to colleagues at work in the morning meeting that I was not satisfied with little!

There were a few demanding situations during consultation yesterday, when I felt that parents could have been more thoughtful towards their children. I felt the need to feel debriefed, but I did not have the opportunity for it. 

I still brood over comments I heard about six months ago from the administrators of the institution that I do not take adequate efforts to increase the number of children I welcome each day!

Since then, I felt moved to respond to that challenge and I feel delighted now that the number of children visiting for consultation has doubled. I feel good that it is happening. Most of the days I finish work only after 4.30 pm when all the others in the department would have dispersed for the evening. 

One task I postpone to do at the end of the consultations is,  entering manually the data about children in a register, from which it is transferred to the digital format by a colleague the next day.  

Yesterday while I was entering the data a colleague and a visitor in the department offered to help in entering the data, when I was still completing the notes on the last child who visited. I felt touched by that act of kindness! They did it spontaneously and thoughtfully. Sometimes this part of the work takes longer time as diagnosis gets revised and referring to earlier notes become necessary! They both did this and I felt glad for the help.

After this, I was on my way to the Medical Records department to return the hospital charts, when I met a senior administrator, who stopped me to find out whey I was carrying the charts to return. It was nearing 6.30 pm. He looked surprised that I was staying beyond working hours to complete the work. He looked even more surprised that there were more children visiting the department now, as he was one of them who  in a meeting suggested six months ago that I had to be more enthusiastic to welcome children. He at that time ignored that children did not come in good number because there was a whisper campaign by some doubting my competencies! They even referred to my age as reason to avoid consulting me!

When I reached the Medical Records Department to return the Hospital charts, it was the same person who was often present there to receive the charts when I had to go to return them. One day it was 7.30 pm when I went to return the charts. This person referred to it and said, that she had not come across any doctor personally coming to return charts at the end of the day and added, 'you work because you want to help'! That was like a shower of blessing to me at the end of the day, when I was still brooding over my inconsiderate comments in the morning meeting. 

The two who helped to complete the register; the hospital administrator who looked surprised and the person in the Medical Records Office who shared a complement ... small things, but surely encouraging enough to close the day with gratefulness!

It was at the end of the day, I realised that there are 'Helping hands' who are reaching out to each of us in different ways. I recall how the domestic helper brings tea each day! I watch the domestic helpers keeping the department space tidy! I watch my colleagues engaging families!

Let us remember to celebrate and acknowledge the Helping Hands!  

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)