they taught me to see

an opportunity of a lifetime came out of the blue. it taught me something new, something important.something that put my life in perspective.
sunday morning, eyes were barely open when i looked at my phone and found a message from a friend in need. apparently, she got pangseh by some ntu people, and needed me to help out at the national vertical marathon. well, so I ate my brekkie,shat and rushed off to suntec all sweaty from fear of reaching there late. i had no idea what i was in for.
upon arrival, i was told i will be an escort to a kid taking part in the special olympics of the national vertical marathon. ntu had invited 6 school under MINDS to join in the fun, and so the kids will be running a relay up suntec tower 4.
my kid was called "mumble-mumble-mumble-DIN" cos i cud only catch the last syllable, so let's call him din. din is 15 years old, malay, lanky, from Towner Gardens School and looks like any of us. but i don't know what's bugging him that put him in MINDS since i didn't bother asking anyone. he was real shy, so i had to crap a lot to him. and we kept doing warm-up exercises that he kept forgetting. it was more than an hour before our race commenced.
we were in-charge of the 2nd leg,climbing 10 storeys up the 43-storey tower.he was tagged by the first runner, we started the ascent and he was going on like a train,though not very fast.din didn't give up,he gave everything he got and of cos,hit home.
end of it all,watching him walk up the stage with everyone else from the special schools made me think. they can do what i can most of the time,just tt they need some assistance and more time, so why does everyone think they are not gonna make it,and never gonna live a normal life? they don't know wat is a normal life, and so to them they are normal,we are the abnormal ones,the weirdoes.
my first experience with these "under-privileged" children taught me to look at myself.and i'm convinced that there is nothing anyone can tell me to live the way i want.did i feel good helping them?i don't.i feel bad that all we can do for them is help them.how many are giving them chances?
and this will not spawn a goodwill ambassador in me.
how many of you can look at them in the eye, tell them they're great, and actually mean it?
i can't.because my heart is not open yet.
and as i see the crowd yesterday looking at the kids like they're aliens, it gets harder to trust our hearts.
but do everyone a favour by wishing them well sincerely, it gives them confidence.
kudos to the brave people who help the needy wholeheartedly and without reservations, you are someone i can't be.