About a week ago, Katherine and I were invited to our boss’s (Stan) mother’s house for lunch. It was a celebration for the four year anniversary of his heart transplant; absolutely amazing! His two sons were there along with his mother, two sisters, their families, and a few close friends. Before we started to eat, Stan made a short speech to thank everyone for being there for him throughout the past few years, especially his sons who were with him in the hospital every step of the way. Although I tried to hide it out of embarrassment, I couldn’t help but tear up a bit during his speech because it’s so beautiful that even after four years of such a serious and dangerous operation it can be celebrated with friends and family who went through it all with him instead of mourned or taken for granted. Four years ago Stan had a heart transplant after waiting 8 months for a heart. All he knows is that it came from a 20 year old; he likes to say that although he’s old, he’s young at heart. For him, I suppose he truly is. This is what I really admire about Stan. An event in his life changed him, and now he’s really living instead of just going through the motions. He’s giving back to his community through Operation HOPE every single day while truly believing in what he’s doing. He’s raising two successful sons, he participates in the transplant Olympic games (taking a trip to Sweden in a few months for nationals!) and although he works hard, he takes time to relax and enjoy small pleasures.
One thing I’ve learned here is that people take their time to relax. Whether it is through teatime, vacation, or just taking time at night to sit and talk with family, overall people like to enjoy their time, money, and company much more than Americans. What I’ve come to find is that money seems to be more valuable to people here because of what it can give you rather than in America where it seems that people make money just to have and show it off rather than enjoy it. This has definitely changed my perspective on what to work towards in my career. Instead of working simply for money, I want to be the kind of person who works towards a physical goal where money is a reward for what I am achieving instead of the actual goal itself. To look at Stan who is such a successful person enjoying his (second) chance at life makes me truly happy and makes me re-evaluate what matters in life.
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