Random Acts of Kindness - Chapter 4

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Job Security:

Coming out of the whirlwind that was 'Round One' (See post: 2020 The Diagnosis), I found myself on the receiving end of more and more support as the days went on. Friends, Family, Co-Workers, Prayer Groups and in some cases people I hadn't heard from in years were all going out of their way to let me know they were thinking of me, praying for me and wishing me well. In a time of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic, it had become far too easy to feel isolated (whether intentional or otherwise) and to hear from so many people on such a regular basis throughout the process was refreshing to my soul.

Upon returning to work (albeit virtually), the initial thought that crossed my mind was "how am I going to continue to be an effective member of our team when I don't have the ability to speak?". I was one of the Leaders in our squad at Klick, and suddenly I found myself questioning whether I could still be effective. In a time where mass layoffs were rampant in the Canadian economy overall, and in Media / Advertising specifically, had this event in my life been occurring at some of my previous places of employment, I know without a shadow of a doubt, they'd have found some excuse to see me out the door for convenience' sake.

So imagine my surprise when, on return to work, everyone I encounter (whether within our team or cross-functionally) takes the time to ask how I'm doing and how they can help? This surprise furthered by the proactive willingness of one Team member who went on to actively call out any text-based meeting chat notes within the context of a conversation from my typing, so as to give me an opportunity to continue to participate in real-time audibly. Jeff Palmer set a great tone at Klick, one that was widely adopted and consistently maintained whether he was present or not. Capping off the Good-Will from my team, they got together to organize a 'Get-Well' card for me as well (see here).

The 'Surprise + Delight' element of everyday kindness on display doesn't end there either as countless people at Klick take it upon themselves to check in on me, share their own Life's stories of hardship or related struggle, or simply just wish me well. These extensions of good will don't just happen during business hours either as though fulfilling on some unwritten quota. Rather, I'd hear from everyone of all levels from Juniors to VPs, all the way up to Klick's CEO Lori Grant herself, from all hours of the day whether during business hours, evenings or weekends. To a person, the only question that would ever come up would be a genuine curiousity on 'how I'm doing' and 'what can be done to help'? Probably more than anything, this helped secure for me the notion that "There's something different here" was more than a Marketing slogan that looked good on an Awards submission, and truly genuinely is, at the core of the company culture of Klick Health.

.. How little I'd appreciated this before now!!

This is not to say I believe I'd taken the generousity of the company for granted in my 2 years of working there; Rather, I'd like to believe that I took an active role in extending the general good will to those I had the capacity to help in my day-to-day dealings. With that said, the expression "it's better to give than to receive" does not do justice to the genuine Warming of the Soul that comes with people going out of their way to allow a lesser version of yourself to continue to feel included and be able to participate in group settings.

My Ex and the Kids:

In addition to the work, home and updates from friends, my Ex and her Husband continue the good-will we've been building up over time in extending us the opportunity to visit and spend time with the Kids (Maya and Oksana) at their place, opening up their home to us as though it were our own. They work on small hand-crafted care kits, on multiple occasions drive them to see my Wife Janelle and I at our own home, and just generally are very supportive of us maintaining the relationship with the kids as personal contact needed to be limited for my own Health's sake, and my ability to drive compromised due to the constant need for support equipment for breathing and clearing my airway.

Not to be outdone though, appreciating my physical health situation and temporary inability to drive, Marta worked with me in coordinating (and hand-delivering) Janelle's Birthday gift including Flowers, a Card, a Cake, Candles, and a Hand-made present from the Girls wrapped up in a nice bow. She then waits for a time when she knew Janelle would be away to deliver to our house (30+ minutes away) in the middle of the day, so that everything could be delivered as a nice surprise for Janelle when returning home. The Girls separately each made me some really sweet pick-me-up Get Well cards too which went a long way!!

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Parallel Pathing & 'Hard Yards':

Throughout the plethora of check-ins from people wanting to know how I was doing, the phrase "Let me know if there's anything you need or anything I can do to help" would become something I'd hear often as well. Whether genuine or not (and I have no reason to believe anyone's was ever the latter), the gesture was always appreciated. Living on a large property in a relatively remote rural setting (Neighbors are Farmers), brings both the tranquility many desire but challenges when it comes to available local people to jump in at a time of need.

And time of need we were most definitely in. Breathing through a tracheostomy tube, while ensuring the stability of my airway, also severely restricted my ability to do certain physical tasks. Things I used to do with relative ease suddenly became very difficult for me (think walking our Dog 'Bear' around the yard for more than 5 Minutes). Coming into the year, we had a few 'heavier' labor jobs to get done before the ground froze at the end of 2020, in preparation for both the Winter season beginning and subsequent snow run-off in the Spring of 2021. Being limited in my capacity to move around for any amount of time, requiring the use of the cold-air compressor or deep suction machines on a near 24/7 basis, effectively meant everything was landing on my Wife to keep us going during this time.

A few of my life-long 'Brothers' from the Agency Wars crew also took it upon themselves to take a page out of Klick's group, and keep active tabs on me as well; Only, they took things one step further.

Not having a voice of my own, and staring down the reality of my Wife Janelle being imminently due to return to Teaching in our Public School System, I was looking at a scenario where I was physically isolated, unable to drive or speak, and potentially being a long way from medical attention should anything arise while Janelle was away. Jeff, Brad, Ian and Seif all agreed to maintain a 9-1-1 'script' on their phones, asking only that I ping them whenever Janelle was coming or going, to act as my daily safety net in the event I needed urgent attention the way I did my 1st weekend home from the Hospital during my surgery in August.

But it doesn't end there.

Facing the fall backlog of work, the Guys, living 1.5 hrs away in Toronto, offer up a Saturday of theirs in October to come up and knock off all of the lingering outdoor work for the season that was acting as an anchor for Janelle and I, in that these tasks were simply too far down the more urgent priority 'to do' list on any given day. We end up taking them up on their offer!!

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.. Of course they had a little 'help' from Bear along the way too:

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We end the night with a wonderful meal and more laughs than I could count.

Gearing up for Round 2:

The goodwill of those around me doesn't end there. Unbeknownst to me, Klick had connected with my Wife Janelle behind the scenes asking about what they could do to genuinely let me know they cared. Janelle mentions that I missed seeing everyone, and they take that as inspiration to compile a video card tribute wishing me well for my next surgery. They conveniently time showing this to me on October 13th 2020, the day prior to my next surgery (Oct 14) so as to really be fresh in my mind heading in:

My Heart Was Full !!

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