HumanKind by Brad Aronson

Author:Brad Aronson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LifeTree Media
Published: 2020-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

8

A NEW LENS ON LIFE

“We can complain because rosebushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

—ATTRIBUTED TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN OR ALPHONSE KARR

Two shoe salespeople were sent to a remote area to open up new markets. Three days after arriving, one salesperson called the office and said, “I’m returning on the next flight. Can’t sell shoes here. Everybody goes barefoot.” At the same time the other salesperson sent an email to the factory, saying, “The prospects are unlimited. Nobody wears shoes here!”

—UNKNOWN

WHEN JACK WAS FOUR, he loved to play superheroes, complete with full costume. One day while he was portraying Spider-Man, dressed in a bodysuit that even included “muscles,” and I was Batman, wearing a kid-size cape the size of a washcloth, we faced a dastardly situation, as superheroes do.

“The bad guys are trying to take our dinner,” I told Spider-Man.

“Don’t worry, Daddy,” Spider-Man said. “I know what to do.” He ran to the kitchen, grabbed a spatula and started stirring the air with it.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“I’m making pancakes for them,” he said. “If they’re trying to take our dinner, they must be hungry.”

I had it all wrong. I was thinking we’d capture the would-be thieves and lock them up. Good thing I didn’t blurt out something that would have chipped away at Jack’s generous spirit.

It’s no secret that kids have much to teach us. Any parent certainly knows it. And when it comes to helping others, kids have a way of tackling problems head-on, without any of adults’ cynicism or the obstacles we perceive.

Sometimes, that unadulterated perspective can truly change the world.

GABRIEL’S DAY OF KINDNESS

Before it became a day of light, it was the darkest day of Natasha Aljalian’s life.

Natasha’s three-year-old son, Gabriel, had been pale for months. When he also became fatigued, Natasha took him to his pediatrician, who told her that Gabriel probably had a virus. But Natasha suspected it was something else. When Gabriel seemed worse a week later, she made an appointment with a new pediatrician.

A few days before the appointment, Gabriel’s preschool called. “He’s not sick, but there is something wrong with him,” the director said. Gabriel had lost more color and become extremely lethargic.

“I picked up Gabriel, and with one look I knew he had to be seen somewhere,” Natasha says. “My husband had just left to go out of the country, so I immediately called the new pediatrician and said: ‘You don’t know me—we’re coming in for our first visit next week—but something is wrong with our son. Is there any way you can see him today?’ At this point it was late afternoon on a Friday. They took him in and the new pediatrician sent him for blood work on Saturday morning.”

After Gabriel’s blood was drawn at Boston Children’s Hospital, he and Natasha were on their way to a toy store as a reward for his bravery when her cell phone rang. It was the pediatrician.

“If you’re driving, pull over,” he said.

She did.

“We need more tests to confirm, but we’re 99 percent sure Gabriel has leukemia,” the doctor said.

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