#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

After hearing the story about the kidnapping of the Nigerian girls my heart became heavy and my blood ran cold. My friends came to mind and I thought what if this happened in Jamaica? What if my friends were the ones abducted? What would I do?

This incident is odious but it calls us to be cognisant of the realities in this world . One can only imagine what the families are going through. How they are feeling every waking moment knowing that their daughters are somewhere out there, trapped and alone. Many of us wish there was more we could do but since that s not the case we have to stand in solidarity with the families, hoping by the grace of God their daughters will be returned safely…Please #bringbackourgirls. Sigh 😥

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY!

Mothers’ day is the day we celebrate and profess our love for our mothers. The one who gave birth to us, the one who nurtured us, the one who lead us on the straight and narrow path. Today is a day of celebration for many but for some it brings a feeling dejection. This feeling stems from some never having the opportunity of knowing their mothers while others may have lost their mothers along the way.

Nevertheless, this day is not without meaning. For those who knew their mothers, it gives them an opportunity to reminisce and remember the treasured moments they shared with their mothers while for others, it gives them time to reflect and identify those individuals in their lives, who stood in the capacity of mother when they needed it most.

I express my respect and appreciation for all mothers. Both mothers who raised their own children and those who took up the responsibility of raising another’s child- the grandmothers, the aunts, the sisters, the cousins, the distant relatives, the teachers, the church sister and the neighbour- who made it  their duty to fill the gap; to make a child feel loved, appreciated and special. I thank you. Your efforts will not go unrewarded.

I wish you all a HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY! as you continue to nurture, encourage and inspire us- your children.

 

Another Annoyed Customer

So….today I followed my friend to Mega Mart because she ordered a cake for Mother’s Day and well I didn’t have anything to do. We went to the pastry area and after waiting just a moment she got to speak to the employee. My friend explained to him that she was there to pick up the cake she ordered after which he went off. When he returned, he said nothing to my friend and began to serve other customers. Now, my eyebrows were raised. I became irritated. I began to nudge my friend to say something but she refused. I’ve never worked in customer service but I know there are some things that come naturally. Things like giving the customer feedback, especially if  you’ve taken a request from a specific customer like in this case.

After doing whatever he left again then, when he was back he finally decided to give us some “feedback”.Not surprisingly it was not the feedback we were waiting for. He began to tell us how the cakes are stacked this way and how he’s going to have look for it among other negligible details. Just as we thought he was going to leave, he just laid it all on; telling us he was having a bad day and “if only we knew”. I’m there thinking to myself “Dude we don’t care, all we want is the cake”. Not to be insensitive or anything, I understand that people have bad days, we all do, but as someone who is required to offer customer service wouldn’t it be tactful to leave out the details of your life and more so what’s happening behind the scenes when dealing with customers. I’m sure he wouldn’t tell a customer at KFC that his co-workers were seasoning the chicken. Then again, who am I to assume he wouldn’t?

I’m sure I am not the only who has experienced this poor level of customer service. It is something that is evident in numerous government and private organizations in Jamaica. This problem is not something to laugh about and it’s obviously not something to be proud of. I could go on and on ranting about this problem but that won’t change anything because at the end of the day I am just another annoyed customer.

Yes? No? Maybe?

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Everyday we are faced with making decisions; It’s inevitable. We may ask ourselves “should I do this?” or “should I do that?” but do we go beyond this point. Do we dare to ask ourselves questions like “Is it the truth?”  “Is it fair to all concerned?” “Will it build goodwill and better friendships?” “Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” as asked in the Rotary Four-Way-Test. Maybe we are too afraid of the answers that we might get. In this day and age, we live for the moment. WE live simply off impulse. Yes I said WE. WE hardly take the time out to think about others. WE hardly take the time out to think about our actions and their repercussions. . WE make hasty decisions and it’s not until we’ve had our fun that we notice the harm we have done, not only to others but also to ourselves. WE need to change that. It’s time for us to stop making precipitous decisions and start putting some deep, serious thought into the decisions we make. No one can make the decision for us, WE must decide to make that decision ourselves.

Time for Reflection

The summer holiday; a time many young adults use to work, catch up on extra sleep and/or engage in frivolous activities. Few of us use this holiday as a time for reflection and introspection. I think the holiday should not only be a time when you unwind and de- stress but it should also be a time when you reflect on past events and identify what you could have done better to decrease the likelihood of  ever making the same mistake again. Over time it helps you in making more conscious, well thought out decisions as reflection not only demands that you think about yourself but also how your actions affect the people around you.  Don’t get caught up in the bliss of this holiday, don’t let it carry you away mindlessly, instead, take a deep breath, sit down, relax and do some introspection. In the words of  Albert Camus “In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.”