In my office, now and then there are strangers sitting in our midst. These are young men and women who want to spend their well-earned holiday breaks from college with us, old foggies.
In some circles, they are called interns. I see them all the time, sitting alone quietly in their little corners. Often, too shy to say anything to anybody and keeping to their own PC space for weeks.
It's almost heartbreaking to see them this way day after day, week after week. Occasionally, I go over and make a "nuisance" of myself. My mission is to let them know that not all office veterans are unfeeling dogs who are always too preoccupied to make new friends.
It gives my heart a little jolt to see young people not knowing what to do in a foreign environment. I am constantly reminded of my children who are more or less their age. "How would I feel if my son or daughter is in that kind of situation," I sometimes tell myself.
So I will be, half-questioning their motive for being there, and half-interrogating them about their ambitions in life (not that they have given it deep thought). But it's always fun after the ice has been broken.
Most of these interns are actually quite nice. They are just shy. Unless they have been exposed to the working environment for some time, most of them are too timid to make the first move in bridging communication with another person.
Sometimes, it helps to be an office dinosaur. Nobody dares to say anything because you are simply too senior to take orders from anyone else. It's not so much feeling sorry for the young ones but giving them a helping hand on this journey of life when they will be meeting strangers and later and perhaps hopefully these strangers will or can become lifelong friends.
Life's too short to be bickering about who are the right people to talk to. We should be able to talk to anybody and it is none of our business to judge others by their facial expressions or their body language. I have found out to my dismay on many occasions how wrong I had been on first impressions.
Most people are very nice beneath the surface. They are just waiting for the chance to express their goodness. The boys or young men usually perform better under these circumstances because society expects it of them. The young ladies tend to have a harder time because they perceive that society will judge them too harshly if they are "too forward".
In this life of limited years (it's always limited even if you live up to 150 years), we should not bypass opportunities to make new friends. The idea is not to wait for the right time. There's really no right time. Anytime is just fine.
Making friends is easy. Just imagine yourself in that kind of situation and imagine how you would like to be treated. Then go ahead and do it. In other words, if you are that shy person sitting in that little corner, visualise how you like others to treat you in the nicest way. Then you go ahead and be that nice person whom you have just imagined.
The rest should be easy. If you have no expectations of a friendship, then none shall be expected of it. It's actually karma.
He who acts out of kindness shall meet kindness along the way.
This little experiment which is currently my pet project has been going on for sometime now. I am thrilled by the results of my little experiments. They help me grow as a person and I am simply humbled by the ongoing experiences.
We are never too old to learn anything good. All we have to do is to imagine the goodness expressing itself in our daily, normal behaviour. Then somehow the opportunities and experiences will come knocking at our door.
Imagine the years you have wasted in keeping to yourself. What a shame. Think of all the nice things you miss. All those golden opportunities that have pass you by because you have allowed it.
Life is meant to be lived to its fullest and every minute of the day should be cherished like it's a diamond or something terribly precious.
Try this if you're are bored
Call all knife knuts
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