So…my friend’s freezer broke down.
Naturally, the first reaction would be to panic. We get tunnel vision. We focus on what we think are the priorities.
- Is it really broken?
- What should we do with the food?
- When is the earliest the new freezer will arrive?
- Who can we ask for help?
Timing. It was dumb luck
I’m usually gaming at that time of the day. And like most gamers, we can go hours without checking our phones, especially when it’s on silent. Luckily for my friend, I just so happened to be on Whatsapp waiting for my friend to send me a photo.
So when he texted, I was able to reply immediately.
Even though the content of the reply was just a simple “Heyyy, what’s up?” It was my presence that gave him relief and hope. Relief because he was able to reach me. And hope because maybe I could help. (Or at least, that is what I would have felt.)
Do you have the resources to help?
After he told me his freezer broke down, he asked if I had any space in mine. Usually, it’s stocked with food and ice cream (since COVID hit, we developed a habit of keeping it stocked in case we couldn’t leave the house). I went to check, and luckily for him, there was.
With the impeccable timing of my reply and just enough resources, I had the power to lend him a helping hand. Although I couldn’t store everything in the freezer, it was enough to be of help. With a little creativity, and a huge stomach, my friend and his family cooked most of the food for that night’s dinner and kept the leftovers for tomorrow.
The freezer crisis resolved!
What I’ve learned from this is that presence, just being there, can already help a lot. And if you have the capability or resources to help, that’d be a big bonus. It also takes a little bit of luck to be at the right place at the right time, so don’t blame yourself if you couldn’t always be there.