One Last Candy and Then A Bunch

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I never thought that a single candy can teach me an important life lesson. But it did, and I would like to share that story with you today.


It happened one afternoon while I was in a cab. I was exhausted after a long day under the sun, working, facilitating, and running around the warm wide space of Sentosa in Singapore. I could recall feeling heavy and fatigued. It wasn't just because of the heat but also because of the challenges I had to solve that same day that drained me out.



I was on my way back to the office, along with an assistant staff and the ride was not as comfortable as I would have wanted it to be. The exhaustion paired with feeling famished made my stomach growl. It was then that I remembered something that made me look forward to finding it. I had saved one last candy inside my bag! So, I searched for it sluggishly but as eagerly as I could until I found it, tucked inside one of the pockets.


I took out the candy, ready to rip it open and enjoy the much-needed sugar rush when my staff asked, "Jedde, do you have another one of that?" I hesitatingly looked at him, already knowing what I was about to do. When I saw his demeanor, he looked tired and beaten up too. I noticed then, that it wasn't just me who was feeling awfully drained. Before he could ask again, I gave him the last candy I had and he responded by gratefully receiving it. 


It was the one last candy that was supposed to give me energy. It was something I had looked forward to eating. It was like salvation from the heavy day that I had and I gave it away. 

--

14 April 2021 - We were visiting the house in the South. Alex and I were planning to buy some materials at the store. Just when we were about to head out, Tita Hazel (his mom) requested us to buy her favorite cranberry snacks. She added a special request, to also include these special Japanese gummies, and so we went and bought the items on our list.



When we arrived home, all three of us tasted the gummies and it tasted really good! In fact, that particular treat was the official gummies for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. His mom exclaimed that she really loved those gummies and that they were special because they represented a cause. We enjoyed savoring the taste of it so much that his mom was left with only one pack of Meiji gummies.


What happened next brought me back to the time when I gave my one last candy to my colleague. 


Just when I was about to leave the house and back to our home in the North, his mom walked up to me holding her last pack of the deliciously tasting Meiji gummies and smiled. She said, "Here, bring this home with you I know you like this too." I responded, "But this is your last and you love this!". She just handed it to me with a smile, and I was filled with a great sense of gratitude, and I really appreciated that simple moment with my fiance's mom.


It was at that exact situation that an important life lesson was presenting itself to me, and it's this:


When we give out something that means a lot to us, and when we share it wholeheartedly with others, it will come back to us in many folds. The universe works in wonderful, mysterious ways. More importantly, God works in beautiful, miraculous ways, even in simple, ordinary experiences.


His mom had given me the last pack of her favorite gummies, even she loved this hard-to-find treat. A great and apt parallel to the story that happened to me two years ago. I may have given away my one last candy, but along the way, I received a bunch and it has made a huge impact on my life. 


May we all continue to give what we can, share what we have, especially in the trying times that we are finding ourselves in right now. Take care everyone!


Love,
Mary Jedde











The author of this blog is plain and simple. She thinks mostly of the usual things - life, love, beauty. She enjoys the basic necessities like food, warmth, blankets, and music. She gets thrilled with the idea of an adventure but doesn't really like to go on one, unless her spontaneity kicks in. She's got a fire in her belly most days, but enjoys the leisure of being in bed at the same time. Odd. Weird. Plain. Simple. Mary Jedde. An old soul, a lifelong learner, and a flourishing human being.

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